The Girl Next Door
by YouDontEvenHaveToKnock
Summary: Handsome rich boy meets poor beautiful girl . . .
1. Chapter 1

_Hello Everyone. :-)_

_I started writing fan fics a little while ago but I've never had the guts to post them anywhere. But I've now decided to, I hope you guys enjoy it and please let me know what you think. I know Liam died a while ago but I much preferred his relationship with Carla to hers with Peter. I hope this doesn't put anyone off._

_x_


	2. Chapter 2

**The Girl Next Door**

Carla groaned as her alarm went off, so much had happened in the past week and she was utterly exhausted. Carla reached her arm out and hit the top of the alarm a little harder than was necessary to turn it off. She yawned and then forced herself into a sitting position, that alone using more energy than she possessed. She had so much she needed to sort out. As she observed the grubby room that she was laid in, she sighed. It was disgusting, but then it was all she could afford. A council house was never going to be in ideal condition, but a council house at short notice . . . Carla thought that if she was living on her own then she might have been able to deal with it, but not when she had her daughter to take care of. Her beautiful baby girl; Dempsey-Rae.

Almost on cue Dempsey stirred in the bed next to Carla who smiled and turned to her as she yawned.

"Whoa . . . That was a big yawn," she whispered.

"Tired mama"

"I know you are baby but, you have your first day at nursery today." Carla told her, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could manage, though she would have much preferred to curl up in bed for the day.

"I no go?"

"You need to go and once you get there I'm sure you'll make lots of new friends. They have lots of toys there for you to play with too."

"Lots?"

Carla nodded "lots and lots"

"Snuggles first?"

Carla smiled and nodded "yeah. Come here . . ."

Dempsey crawled into Carla's lap and Carla responded by wrapping her arms around her daughter's tiny frame, holding her close as she lay back down. She breathed in her familiar scent and knew that she had done the right thing in running away. They might not have been living in a palace but she would do anything to keep her safe and if it meant swapping a mansion for a scruffy two bed then so be it. As long as they were together and Dempsey was safe, Carla knew she didn't really care where they lived.

Forty minutes later and Carla had dressed Dempsey in a little white dress and a pair of pink shoes with sequins on them. She placed a pink headband into her mane of black curls and smiled.

"Beautiful" Carla told her daughter while leaning down once more to adjust one of her socks, "sit there for a moment," she stated softly while gesturing with a simple nod of her head to the bed.

Carla pulled on a pair of black leggings with an off the shoulder top before scraping her hair back into a tie. After checking her phone, Carla picked Dempsey up and held her on her hip as she walked downstairs and handed her a little bag that she'd packed for her the night before. "Here baby . . ."

"What's dis?"

"You have to take it to nursery sweetheart"

"Why?"

"It's got some things of yours in. Do you want to carry it?"

Dempsey paused for a moment as if contemplating the question before she nodded and Carla moved to stand behind her to place a strap over each of her arms so that it was on her back. After picking up her own bag Carla held her hand out to Dempsey before leaving the flat they'd only moved into the day before. She walked slowly along the path to allow Dempsey to keep up with her, chattering as they went.

Carla stopped outside of the nursery she had managed to get Dempsey into at such short notice and crouched down in front of her so that they were of a similar height. "Are you ready baby?" Carla whispered and adjusted the headband her daughter was wearing.

Dempsey shook her head and stepped closer "no . . . I stay with you?"

"I thought you wanted to play with all of the toys?"

"I play with my toys"

Carla bit down on the inside of her lip as she tried desperately to keep her emotions under control and coax her daughter into nursery. It wasn't that she wanted rid of her, but Carla knew she needed at least some time on her own to try and get their lives more organized than they currently were.

"Play with your toys when you get home?" she offered, hoping to meet somewhere in the middle.

"No I play with them now." Dempsey stepped closer to Carla so that she was now standing between her legs as a shadow loomed over them and Carla felt her heart beat speed up dramatically. Dempsey placed her head in the crook of Carla's neck as she wrapped her arm protectively around her waist. On turning around she found a fairly tall man with hair as dark as her own standing to the side of her. She frowned momentarily, utterly confused until she noticed the little boy stood at his side who was the spitting image of him.

Carla swallowed; he really was very handsome. "Hi . . ." she managed unsure of what he wanted.

He smiled, an adorable lopsided grin and Carla felt herself automatically smiling back at him. "I'm Liam, can I?" he gestured to Dempsey with a nod who now had her hands curled around the material of Carla's cardigan. She found herself nodding at his request.

The handsome stranger kneeled down so he was also of a similar height to Dempsey and Carla as he spoke softly, "hey . . ."

"Dempsey" Carla replied, answering his unspoken question.

He smiled "Dempsey" he repeated, "what's wrong?"

Dempsey didn't answer and stepped closer to Carla instead.

Liam hesitated for a moment before trying again. "I was hoping you could help me . . ."

This time Dempsey turned a little, a small frown forming over her expression at Liam's comment, "how?" she whispered.

"Well Liam here is on his own and he was wondering if you'd go in with him . . ." he gestured towards his son who smiled shyly.

Dempsey turned to Carla who raised her eyebrow a little before speaking. "You can't let Liam go in on his own, can you? If you go in with him and have a good day I'll get you a blueberry muffin on the way home. How about that?"

Dempsey paused and considered the offer, then nodded.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Deal." she smiled and wrapped her arms around Carla's neck for a cuddle. Carla smiled and mouthed "thank you" at Liam who stood up and after a kiss from Dempsey Carla did the same.

Carla smiled when Dempsey took Liam's outstretched hand and they walked into nursery together chattering in baby speak. She bit down on her bottom lip gently before turning to Liam who was standing at the side of her. "Thank you, I didn't think she was going to go in . . ."

Liam smiled, unable to ignore the breathtakingly beautiful woman that was standing before him. He found himself wanting to reach out and tuck a stand of hair that had escaped her hair tie behind her ear and the feeling shocked him. He swallowed and replied, trying to ignore the latest thought that had popped into his mind, "just call it the Connor charm."

Carla smiled "Liam Connor? Nice name . . ."

He smiled "do you have a name?"

"It'd have been pretty cruel of my mum if I didn't"

He smirked.

"Carla . . ."

"Carla?"

Carla hesitated for a moment; it wasn't like she could tell him the truth. She would be too easy to find then. "Roberts . . ."

"Well Carla Roberts, what would you say to accompanying me for a coffee?"

"It's really nice of you . . . But ur- I have some things I need to do today."

"Surely you can spare me twenty minutes?"

Carla hesitated for a moment; she needed a friend didn't she? She had moved to somewhere she didn't know anyone and he had helped her a considerable amount that morning with Dempsey and she was grateful. She nodded "one cup, then I have to dash."

Liam smiled and nodded at Carla as he turned around and walked up the street with her in the direction of a little coffee shop that he frequently visited.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N thank you to KeepTheHeid and Noeme for their feedback :-) I'm so glad I'm not the only one that prefers the Liarla relationship. I hope you like this._

Carla was now sitting down at a table for two in the window of the coffee shop that Liam had taken her to. Something that had caught her attention as they were walking from the nursery to the shop was the smell of him. It was divine. She wasn't sure what the cologne was he wore, but she approved of it whatever it was. Carla was brought from her thoughts with a bang when Liam arrived at the table and took a seat opposite her, placing the two cups down. "Thank you. How much was it?"

Liam shook his head dismissively "it's on me"

"The least I can do is pay for your coffee?" Carla knew that she couldn't really afford it but she felt incredibly rude not to offer at least, especially after how he had helped her with Dempsey.

"No you really don't have to Carla. I offered to take you for coffee and that included paying for it," he smiled.

There it was again, that beautiful lopsided smile. "Thank you" Carla mumbled shyly before picking up the cup to have a sip.

"So Carla . . . What do you do?" Liam asked with genuine interest.

Carla rubbed her lips together at the question as a way of delaying the answer for a moment or two. She hadn't thought of this when agreeing to go for a drink with Liam, she was going to have to make up a lie on the spot and try to keep it up. It wasn't that she didn't want to talk to him, but the thought of him finding out about her and what she had done terrified her. This might be harder than she had originally thought. "Erm, well I've just moved here so I'm in between jobs at the moment." That wasn't technically lie, she silently reasoned with herself though was stopped in her tracks when Liam answered.

Liam nodded and the traces of a smile still remained on his lips "how old is Dempsey?"

"She's two and a half. How old is Liam?"

"I'm twenty-five."

Carla laughed quietly "you know what I meant . . ."

"He's 32 months."

"He's cute"

"He takes after his dad"

Carla smirks "I walked right into that one . . ."

"That you did . . . Now I know you're not supposed to ask a lady this, but, how old are you?"

"How old do you think I am?"

"Urrrr"

Carla laughed quietly and shook her head, deciding to change the subject. "What do you do?"

"I own businesses."

"Businesses, a plural? What kind?"

"A variety. I have an underwear factory not far from here, businesses in Ireland and property here and abroad."

Carla raises her eyebrow a little. _I'm so out of my league here_ was her first thought, "anything else?" Carla asked, a sarcastic undertone in her voice.

"My sister owns a salon that I have a share in."

"Are you serious?"

He nods "yeah. I wasn't going to say anything, it's not really my scene."

Carla smirked "on I don't know, I imagine you're quite vain."

"Now now Miss Roberts, behave."

Carla smiled and cocked her head to the side slightly "if you don't like the idea of it why do you own it?"

"I bought it for my sister. So I have a 50% share in it."

"Do you usually tell strangers all about your business ventures?"

"Only ones I like."

Carla blushed as she had another drink to try and disguise it, or take her mind off it, whatever. Compliments weren't something that she was used to receiving and she was a little unsure how to deal with them, especially when she found herself feeling a little too fond of the man sat opposite her. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was but there seemed to be something about him that made her want to spend time with him, despite having only met that morning.

Carla finds herself leaving the coffee shop over an hour later after saying bye to Liam and it shocks her just how quickly the time has gone. After going to the shops as she as intended she arrived back at the small council house she was now living in with her daughter and sighed. The hallway had been scrubbed clean the previous day and she intended to make the best of the living room. The money that she had taken when she had run away from her husband was fast running out and it was something else that added to the list of her worries.

Shaking her head a little, trying to rid herself of the thoughts Carla made her way into the living room and after ten minutes she had filled a bowl with cleaner and was scrubbing the floor. Once she was satisfied that it was as clean as she was going to get it she used a blanket that she had bought to cover all of the couch that was in the room. The table at the side of it was worn but stable and aside from buy a new one, which she didn't have the money for, Carla knew there was little she could do about it.

After placing four pink rugs that she had bought onto the floor, deciding that would be Dempsey's space when she was downstairs, she turned and grabbed her bag to leave the house once more and pick her daughter up from nursery. She had only been waiting outside for a moment or two when children began to make their way out and as soon as Dempsey got out she ran at Carla and wrapped her arms around her neck on getting close enough. Carla bent down and held her around the waist, lifting her up to hold her on her hip smiling. "Hello my beautiful girl, did you have a nice day?"

Dempsey nodded "we had cake and a pit with sand and water."

"Oh that sounds fun," and very messy she thought.

"We buy one?"

"I don't know sweetheart, maybe."

"I like Liam"

"Did you play together?"

Dempsey nodded "he's my best friend."

"I told you you'd make friends."

"We get my muffin?"

Carla laughs quietly at her remembering, "I thought you told me that you'd had cake?"

Dempsey pouts "but you promised . . ."

"I suppose I did . . . Do you want to walk?"

She shakes her head, resting it on Carla's shoulder.

Carla smiles and kisses her hair gently before making her way to the shop, only to be stopped before she had gotten to the end of the path by Liam calling her name. Carla turned around as she answered "hello, again . . ."

He smiled "Liam was wondering if Dempsey would like to come to our house for her tea tomorrow?"

"Would you like that sweetheart?" Carla questioned, her voice soft as she spoke to her daughter.

Dempsey nodded "yes please . . ."

"Well then until tomorrow" Carla smiled "bye Liam . . ." Carla called to the toddler who waved and Liam flashed her another smile before she turned on her heel and continued on to the shop with Dempsey.


	4. Chapter 4

After dropping Dempsey off at nursery that morning Carla had gone for a job that had been advertised. It was only a cleaning job but she needed all of the money that she could get her hands on at that moment in time and couldn't afford to be picky about what she did. She made her way through town, checking her phone regularly in case she had a call coming through about it. She didn't. Carla sighed, if she couldn't get a cleaning job she didn't hold out much hope for getting anything else and she couldn't afford waiting a long time to start earning some money.

Carla walked into a paint shop, trying to rid herself of all of her thoughts while she concentrated on what she was doing. She was almost sure that she had aged at least ten years in the past week. Carla had promised Dempsey she would get a room of her own and though she had thought about buying a TV she hadn't wanted to break her promise. It was with that thought in mind she leant forwards and picked up the cards in the store with the different shades of pink on, flicking through them and debating for around ten minutes before finally deciding on a baby pink color.

A princess's room for her princess. Carla smiled at the thought.

Carla used what little money she did have to buy paint, cushions, accessories and a lamp for Dempsey's room and before she knew it, it was time to collect her from nursery. Carla was so relived that Dempsey had seemed to settle into nursery after a rocky start. She knew that it was a big deal for her to start there and with all of the other changes that had happened in her life over the past week and she would have been lying if she'd said that she hadn't been apprehensive about her reaction. After quickly getting the bus she jogged up to the entrance and was relieved when she found that the children hadn't been let out yet. Carla leaned against the wall gently and was thinking about whether she could get Dempsey's room painted in a night when she felt someone stand next to her. As she turned to find out who it was she smiled automatically as Liam spoke.

"Someone's been busy . . ." he gestured to the carrier bags, mimicking how Carla was stood by also leaning against the wall.

"Someone's daughter needs her bedroom decorating." she subtly checked her phone after answering him.

"Oh right, if you need a hand let me know . . ."

"You mean you would risk getting your designer jeans dirty"

Liam smirked "anything for you Carla," his tone was laced with sarcasm.

"It wouldn't be for me it'd be for Dempsey . . ."

Liam opened his mouth to reply but before he could get the words out the doors of the nursery opened and children slowly started to make their way out. After four children, Liam and Dempsey stepped out hand in hand and walked in their direction. Carla laughed, "I think they're getting quite fond of each other . . ."

"He's a fast learner is my son, sweet-talking the ladies already."

"Taking after his dad no doubt"

"You know me so well already"

Carla snorted and shook her head a little "now why do I think you're exaggerating"

"I'll have you know I am quite the ladies man, but unfortunately for all you females I'm now married."

Carla felt a stab of disappointment but she masked it quickly and answered him again, "I think I feel sorry for her, your wife."

Liam feigns shock "I'm offended . . ."

"yeah yeah" Carla smirked and leant down to pick Dempsey up as she reached her. "Hello baby . . ." she ruffled Liam's hair gently "hey pal, did you have a good day?"

Liam gives her a shy smile and nods before Liam picks him up and puts him on his shoulders, talking to Carla while doing so. "What time do you want to pick Dempsey up?"

Carla frowned "hey?"

"I thought she was coming for her tea?"

"Oh . . . I completely forgot, erm . . ."

"Mama come?" Dempsey asked and before Carla could answer, Liam did.

"Of course she can"

Carla shrugged gently before nodding "well I think that's that decision made" she chuckled.

"The car is just around the corner, Dom will take us back."

Carla frowned "Dom?"

"My driver"

When Carla arrived at Liam's house she swallowed hard, they'd had to go through electric gates just to get onto the huge drive. As she stepped inside she felt minuscule, the hallway alone was bigger than the house that she was living in. As she entered the house there was a grand staircase before her leading to a balcony before the rooms that were upstairs, though she wasn't sure how many there were she guessed it was in double figures. There were numerous rooms to either side of where the stairs were and no doubt more beyond that. Carla silently wished that she'd had time to change, suddenly feeling very underdressed in leggings and a jumper in the house that seemed like it had just been taken from a movie scene.

Carla jumped when her thoughts were interrupted by a lady speaking, she must have only been about 25 and at first Carla thought that she was Liam's wife. She had long chocolate brown hair that flowed in curls down her back and a warm smile. She seemed nice, friendly, though Carla knew all too well that appearances could be deceiving, very deceiving.

"Carla this is April, our cleaner, cook and nanny. She's a woman of many talents."

April quietly laughed, "oh stop" she shook her head at Liam who smiled "it's nice to meet you Carla"

Carla returned the smile and nodded "you too" she answered politely, confused at the feeling of relief that washed over her when April turned out to be someone who worked for Liam and not who he was married to.

"This is Dempsey" Liam smiled, gesturing to the toddler who was stood by Carla with one arm wrapped around her leg half hiding.

"Hello Dempsey" April smiled "I like your hair band"

Dempsey smiled shyly "hi"

Liam smiled at the exchange before interrupting "Carla and Dempsey have come for their tea"

"What would you like? I'll get onto it"

Liam shook his head "I was thinking we could order pizza, some drinks would be nice though."

April nodded and left and Liam stepped a little closer to Carla with a smile. That smile . . . Carla silently told herself off for her thoughts and tried to concentrate on what he was saying.

"You do like pizza don't you?"

Carla laughed quietly and nodded "yeah pizza is fine Liam . . ."

"What toppings would you like?"

"A plain one please, Dempsey won't eat it if there's any kind of peppers or anything on there."

"What would you like?"

"I'll just share her's"

"Don't be daft"

Carla sighed "pepperoni then"

Carla ran her hand over Dempsey's hair gently as Liam encouraged her to go through into the playroom with his son and when Liam held his hand out she took it and followed him. When they disappeared into one of the rooms and Dempsey's excited squeal sounded into the hall seconds after she'd stepped inside, Carla guessed it was as grand as the house Liam lived in though she wouldn't have expected it to be anything else. Her thoughts were interrupted once more when Liam spoke.

"Do you want to go and sit in there" he gestured with his hand to a room to her right "I'll just go and tell April what we want and get the drinks."

Carla nodded and walked into the room Liam had gestured to as he went into the kitchen. The gasp that escaped her lips was out before she could stop it at the room she now found herself in. The house she had lived in before running away had been big and she'd thought of that as some sort of palace, but it was nothing compared to the house she was in at that moment in time. Could it even be called a house? Mansion seemed more appropriate.

The room was huge and painted in cream with a large window on the bottom wall. There was a large L shaped red couch and the wall opposite it was a bold red color too with a very large TV in the centre. Underneath the TV there was a top of the range CD player and Carla found herself idly wondering what kind of music Liam liked. Carla stepped back out of the room and took her shoes off before entering once again and venturing further inside this time. The carpet was as she expected, luxurious and thick, one that allowed your feet to sink right into it as you walked. She made her way over to the couch and sat down, fairly sure that what it had cost to decorate the room would be enough for her to decorate the whole house that she was living in.

Liam walked into the room with a glass in each hand and sat down beside Carla on reaching the couch. "Red wine" he smiled and handed her a glass, "I hope you like it"

Carla nodded her answer "how are Dempsey and Liam getting on?"

"They seemed to be having fun when I took them drinks in"

"She isn't going to want to come home."

"Well she can come here anytime she likes she's lovely . . . Like her mum"

Carla laughed a nervous laugh before raising the glass Liam had brought her to her lips to have a sip. "Your home is gorgeous"

"Thank you" Liam smiled

"Where's you're wife?"

Liam's smile fell a little and but he hid it was best as he could while he answered "she's shopping in New York this week and she was with her parents a week before that."

"Oh she has expensive taste then, I couldn't imagine leaving Dempsey for two weeks I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

Liam laughed and nodded in agreement, frowning when Carla checked her phone once again. "My company isn't that bad is it?"

Carla frowned "what do you mean?"

"Are you waiting for a get out call?" he raised his eyebrow a little, teasing her.

Carla laughed "you're not quite that bad Liam . . . I was waiting for a call, just not a call that gets me out of here"

"Oh I am honored"

"You should be" she teased.

"So if it's not a get out call what kind of call is it?"

"I went for a job this morning and they told me they were going to call me to let me know whether I'd got it or not. It doesn't seem too likely now does it?" she sighed.

"What kind of job was it?"

"A cleaning job . . ." Carla mumbled, feeling herself blush at admitting it. She was embarrassed but she knew she couldn't afford to be, not when it wasn't just herself that she had to think about.

Liam frowned and shook his head a little, and though he hadn't known Carla long he felt like he wanted to help her and the thought of her stuck cleaning getting peanuts wasn't something that he welcomed. "Sod them I know of a job that'll be better work than cleaning and will pay more"

"You do?"

He nodded "an office job"

"I've never worked in an office before, I don't think I'd have much of a chance . . ."

Liam grinned, "I think you do . . ."

"What are you smiling at me like that for?"

"I need someone to work in the office of my factory, the woman in charge is trying to do two people's jobs and I was going to start advertising but . . . I think I've found my perfect woman."

Carla's breath hitched at his words and she silently wondered whether he had chose them for more than one reason though quickly dismissed it. No, he was happily married and she needed to stop with those kind of thoughts. "Liam, I don't think it would be such a good idea . . . I wouldn't know what I was doing and it sounds like you need someone who can go in and get on with things straight away."

"But with a teacher like me I don't think it'd be long before you were all but running the place"

"You'd teach me?"

He nodded, a mischievous grin forming over his lips. "Yep"

His smile . . . _I wish he'd stop doing that_ Carla thought, despite knowing she would be disappointed if he did. After losing her train of thought once more Carla found herself just smiling back at him like an idiot.

"So what do you say?"

She nodded "I say, let's give it a try."

Liam smiled and raised his glass to clink with hers and after doing so they both had a mouthful, small smiles playing on both of their lips as they drank.

After having their pizza and staying a little longer than intended, Carla wrapped her arm around Dempsey once her coat and her shoes were on. "Say thank you to Liam for letting you come to play"

"Thank you" Dempsey repeated as Carla put her boots on while she turned and gave little Liam a cuddle, "bye bye."

Carla picked Dempsey up after putting her jacket on and held her on her hip. "Thanks for tonight Liam . . ."

"You're welcome, Dom is going to take you home."

"Oh no really, it's fine."

"It's none negotiable Carla . . ."

She laughed a little and nodded "fine . . ."

Carla had been about to leave when Liam placed his hand on her arm and kissed her on the cheek. "This is our last conversation before you have to start calling me boss . . . Night night Carla."

"In your dreams, Liam." she smirked before going to get into the brand new Mercedes with Dempsey. When Dom got into the front and asked her where she wanted to go, she knew she couldn't really tell him where she lived. Liam associating with someone who lived on a scruffy council estate wasn't something she could imagine and thought that if he found out where she was really living he would cut all contact, and it was a thought which effected her more than she cared to admit. "Can you just drop me off at the shop on the corner by the nursery please? I need to pick up a couple of things . . ."

"Of course Miss."


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you for the feedback you've left on this story, I really appreciate it. I wasn't sure whether this would be very popular so I'm glad it is. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter. :-)_

The next morning Carla had gotten up early and had all of her clothes out of her bag trying to decide what to wear. Eventually she had decided on a high waisted black skirt teamed with a white shirt with long chiffon sleeves tucked into it. She tied her hair up in a ponytail and put on some make-up before waking Dempsey to get ready.

After making their way to the nursery Carla said bye to Dempsey and let her run inside. Almost as soon as Dempsey had ran off Liam was stood to the side of her, "nice outfit"

"Thanks boss"

Liam smirked "you're full of surprises Miss Roberts . . . I thought you told me you'd only say that in my dreams?"

Carla shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips as Liam waited for her answer.

When one didn't come he placed his arm around her shoulders and led her to the Merc that was parked only a couple of steps away from where they were standing, "come on we have a lot to get though today . . ."

On getting into the car, Carla bit down on her bottom lip gently, which told Liam that she was unsure before she spoke. "Liam, what are the hours of this job?"

"Usually it's 9-5 but it can vary depending on how much or how little we need to do . . . If you're worrying about Dempsey, don't."

Carla frowned, momentarily silent as he had known what she was thinking about, "she gets out of nursery at half two . . ."

"You should have enough money to get a child minder for her and if you don't she can come to ours and play with Liam for a couple of hours while April is minding Liam"

"You've already given me a job Liam I can't expect your nanny to take care of my daughter too."

"Listen, this week you can leave to pick her up yeah? Then at the end of the week if you think you want to stay on we'll try and sort something out."

Carla offered a small smile "thank you . . ." she mumbled, knowing that a mere thank you wasn't enough given how much he had helped her out over the past couple of days.

"You're welcome" Liam told her before flashing a winning smile.

Ten minutes later and Carla found herself in the office of Liam's factory Underworld. The buzz of machines sounded through the factory and the murmur of voices as the people who worked there chattered. On getting into the office Carla had been introduced to Hayley Cropper who seemed very friendly and who was the person Liam had told her about who was doing two jobs on her own. He had let her know that the work she would need to do would be to file what was in the office, chase up payments, organize his meetings and the like. Hayley would be there to help her but he wanted her to deal with the people who worked for him, check they were on time with orders and that they were correct before they got sent away to the buyer. Hayley had gone to make the both of them a coffee after Liam had asked and when the door closed behind her Liam gestured to one of the desks in the office. "This will be your desk . . . Sit" he smiled.

Carla walked around to sit down on the black leather chair, the sound of her heels against the factory floor seeming much louder in the office than they had when she'd first entered.

Liam took the chair from the other desk in the office that was in front of Carla's and to the right had side, moving it around so he was sitting beside her. Carla crossed one leg over the other and Liam leaned over her to turn the computer on. There was that smell again, Carla thought, just as divine as the day they'd first met and he'd taken her to the coffee shop. When the computer had loaded up Liam leaned in to show Carla as he spoke.

"So the first thing is your e-mail, I've made you one and logged in on here. E-mail and the phone will be the ways that clients and I will be able to contact you so all you have to do to get it on is click the start button and go to it yeah?"

Carla nodded "yeah I think I can get that"

"The spreadsheets that you might need are in documents, the diary with all my meeting's is on the table and you must write them in as they come so you can let me know before you leave here at night what I have on the following day. . ." He paused for a moment and once Carla had nodded he continued, making sure that she was keeping up with what he was saying. "There is a folder for all of the details of the orders we have on but if you want to know anything about them just ask Hayley, she knows them all like the back of her hand."

Carla smiled and turned a little as Hayley walked back into the office as if on cue. "Here are your coffee's" she chimed.

"Thanks Hayles" Liam smiled before answering his phone as it rang.

Carla mouthed a "thank you" to Hayley who smiled before leaving the office once more and Carla waited for Liam to finish his phone call before she said anything else.

When Hayley left the factory she was called over by the group of people that had gathered in the corner of the factory, all drinking coffee and sharing biscuits. "What's going on?" Sean questioned.

"Yeah, who's Liam's new bird?" a brassy blonde chipped in, a smile across her lips at the prospect of some juicy gossip.

"Beth" Fiz snapped, pushing her mane of ginger curls back with her hand "I don't think Maria would appreciate you saying things like that"

"Well Maria isn't here is she?" Beth retorted.

"Oh shut up you two" Sally scalded before turning to Hayley "has she got the job or what?"

Hayley sighed, she hated being involved in the works gossip but often found herself with very little choice. "I think so but if you want to know for sure you'll have to ask Mr Connor."

Sally tutted, her annoyance apparent as she spoke "I've worked my way up to that job and she thinks she can just come in here and take it from me."

Sean snorted, "she didn't think she could Sal, she pretty much has"

Hayley disguised a small smile at Sean's comment to Sally although it fell when Fiz spoke up. "Well you weren't the one who was all but promised that job Sally I was going to put money away for Hope's future with the extra, Maria knows how much I need it and she told me I should be swapping jobs by the time she gets back."

"Well things must have changed . . . Now can you all just go back to work and get on with this order it needs to be finished tomorrow."

"You can tell what she is a mile off . . ." Sally thought aloud, her attention in the direction of the office where Carla was sitting, as she spoke.

"What's that then?" Sean questioned.

"A cheap little tart."

Beth laughed "I bet she's paid him for this job . . . In kind"

The laughter was cut short when Liam spoke up from behind where the group had gathered. "Something funny?" He questioned, "care to let me in on the joke?"

Hayley paled a little and when no one answered Liam snapped, his voice a little louder this time. "Well?"

"No Mr Connor" Sally mumbled

"Good, now get back to work."

Liam left the factory and Hayley made her way back onto the factory floor with the others following her to make their way back to their machines.

In the office Carla stopped working on the spreadsheet that Liam had asked her to start that day to open up an e-mail to send to him. It took her a couple of moments but she soon worked out what she was doing and smiled as she typed one out, almost immediately getting one back from him.

_"21 . . ."_

_"What's that? How many times you've thought of me since I've been gone?"_

_"No you clown, my age. You asked me last night . . ."_

_"I thought it was a touchy subject when you changed the conversation"_

Carla hesitated before replying, he was right. It was a touchy subject. The reason she hadn't wanted to tell Liam how old she was, was by doing so he would work out that she was only 18 when she'd had Dempsey and the last thing that she wanted him to think of her was that she was someone who had gone sleeping around and got caught out pregnant. _"Well you know now . . ."_

_"Yeah I do and you're not that old"_

_"Take the second last word out of that sentence"_

_"I'm your boss. I should be telling you what to do"_

_"You'd need to grow a pair first . . ."_

_Liam laughed "as much as I would like to continue this conversation I have a meeting I'm due in and if I'm not mistaken I left you with some work to do. Ask Hayley if you need any help."_

_"I will, have a good meeting."_

Carla let a small smile lass her lips and closed the e-mail programme before continuing with the spreadsheet she had previously been working on.

Two hours later after his meeting Liam headed back to the house in rather good spirits after being told the factory was doing well. Silently he wondered how Carla was getting on and made a mental note to remember to e-mail her on getting back to check. Deep down Liam knew that he was fonder of Carla than he should be given the amount of time that they'd known each other but he hadn't properly acknowledged that to himself just yet. On stepping into the house he smiled and went into the kitchen to get himself a chilled glass of orange. It was mere moments after doing this that the front door opened once more and Liam's wife's voice sounded throughout the house "bring my bags in Dom"

Liam frowned and put the glass of orange down on the side before walking out of the kitchen and into the hall to greet her "Maria, I wasn't expecting you back until tomorrow?"

"We got an earlier flight"

"Did you have a nice time?"

She nodded "yes it was lovely"

He frowned at her short responses "is there something wrong?"

"There wasn't, until I received a phone call from Fiz telling me that you had given someone else the job I'd promised her."

"It wasn't your place to promise her"

"She's my best friend"

"It's my business, Maria"

"I'm your wife Liam and that means it's my business too"

"Maria, I am not discussing this anymore, the job has gone and Fiz is getting more than enough on the wage that she's on. If I'd have given her the job I'd have still needed to advertise for hers so I wasn't gaining anything."

"What are you gaining then?"

"An office manager."

"Who is it?"

"A friend . . ."

"A female friend?"

Liam nodded "why is this relevant?"

"Does she know what she's doing?"

He sighed "Maria you're 25, please stop acting like a child. You should be glad that I've found someone so easily."

"Well I'm not" she snapped, her voice slightly louder than it had been. Once she had finished her answer she turned on her heel and stormed down the hall and upstairs, leaving Liam shaking his head.


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you once again for the lovely feedback on this story; I almost didn't post it so I'm really glad you all seem to be enjoying it at the moment. :') I'm not sure how to separate each scene, so to speak, I put a little dotted line in my word document but it doesn't show up on here. Does anyone have any ideas on how to make it, or do you think it's fine without? I hope you enjoy the next part._

Hayley was in the middle of checking a box of stock before it was put out ready to be dispatched and taken to the buyer when a panicked squeak came from the office. She frowned and put down the pen and clipboard that she had been using before dashing through to find out what was going on. As she entered the office she found Carla sitting at the desk, her hair pushed back with one hand wearing a worried expression. "Carla what's wrong?"

"It's gone . . ."

"What has?"

"The spreadsheet, it's just gone"

Hayley frowned and moved around the desk to find that the computer was restarting "I think it must be doing some updates" she sighed "did you save it?"

Carla shook her head "it took me all morning to do that"

"Don't worry, jut try and get it finished before you leave tonight. Remember to press control and S regularly so that if this happens again, you shouldn't lose too much of your work."

Carla nodded and gave a small smile "thanks Hayley"

"Do you want to come with us for your dinner?"

Carla shook her head "I think I'd better stay here and get this finished, thank you for the offer though . . ."

"Would you like me to bring you over something to eat?"

"No thanks"

"You can't not eat Carla, how about I get my Roy to make you up a nice sandwich hey?"

Carla laughed quietly and nodded "thank you"

Hayley smiled before leaving the office and then the factory, following the others out for dinner. Carla couldn't help but think about how friendly she was, she made up for all of the others being pretty hostile towards her, although she wasn't quite sure why. Carla hadn't been in the office on her own long when the door opened and at first she thought it might have been Hayley again but was met with someone she didn't recognize. In the doorway of the office stood a slim woman who had brown hair that was softly curled and highlighted with blonde. She was quite pretty, Carla thought and when she stood up from her chair it became apparent that she was a little taller than the female opposite her. Carla offered a small smile and stepped out from behind her desk as she spoke. "Hi can I help you?" she silently tried to remember the diary for that morning, although she was fairly sure they weren't expecting any visitors.

"Yeah, yeah I think you can" she stepped into the office a little further and closed the door behind her.

Carla frowned in confusion "do I know you?"

She shook her head "no you don't, but I know you"

Carla swallowed hard "how?" she asked, her voice sounding much steadier than she felt inside.

"Care to tell me how you got this job?"

Carla raised her eyebrow a little "I don't know why that has anything to do with you."

"I'm Maria Connor, Liam's wife."

_She is his wife_ Carla thought. Crap. "If you want Liam he's in a meeting . . ."

"Oh I know, I've come to speak to you."

Carla raised her eyebrow a little "urr why?"

"Well I don't know if you're aware of this or not but you have taken a job that was for someone else . . ." Maria started "and there has been a mix up so I'm giving you the opportunity to walk out now."

"If I don't?"

"You'll wish you had . . ."

"Listen love, Liam employed me and if something has happened which means he wants someone else in this job then I think I'll wait and let him tell me."

"don't take me on Carla and don't think that you're anything special to Liam either, I know what you are . . ."

Carla raised her eyebrow a little and Maria continued.

"A little slapper from the wrong side of the tracks who's flirted a way into a job she hasn't got the first idea how to do."

Carla scoffed, shaking her head a little "and do you want to know what you are?" _Where are those staplers that fire them out, _she thought, _one could come in pretty useful right now_.

"Enlighten me . . ."

"Someone who thinks that having a bit of money makes them above everyone, someone who has never had to do a day's work in their life and thinks that by telling someone what you want will get you it. Now I'm not to blame for this misunderstanding so if you have anything else to say on the matter then take it up with Liam. Now if you don't mind, I have work to be getting on with," she snapped.

"You'll regret this Carla"

Carla stood her ground and just raised her eyebrow as Maria turned and left the factory, after she had gone she shook her head a little and silently wondered whether Liam had known that she was going to pay her a visit or not. If she had to guess she would have said that he didn't know, but she was furious and he was the only person that she could think of to take it out on. When the main door slammed closed Carla walked around to sit down at her desk and started her e-mail programme up before typing a message out to Liam, hitting the keys a little harder than was necessary as she did.

_"Thanks for letting me know that your wife was going to come around today and kick off. I suggest you get her back on her lead; I came here to work, not to take abuse from anyone who wants to come in and give it to me. You're you of order and so is she, keep your domestics to yourself and if you want me to carry on working here you better get this little mess cleaned up._

_Oh, and I'm knocking off early."_

After typing the e-mail she hit send and closed down the computer before picking up her bag and her jacket. After she had shrugged it on she left the factory and headed to the nursery to pick Dempsey up a little earlier than she usually would have. She was still furious after what had happened with Maria but as there was little she could do about it she decided to spend the rest of the afternoon and the night with her daughter. On getting out of the factory Carla walked to the bus stop and sighed quietly when she reached into her purse to get the fare out for the bus, only to find that she had 40p and a couple of coppers. Until she was paid, given that she still had a job, that was all she had to live on, Carla swallowed back her emotions and turned on her heel to walk to the nursery, even though it would add an extra 20 minutes to her journey.

When Carla finally arrived at the nursery she entered the building and after telling the person that was in charge Dempsey needed to be out early for an appointment they went to get her. She smiled when her daughter ran up the corridor to her holding her arms out, "mama"

"Hey baby" Carla picked her up and spun her around, which issued a fit of giggles from the toddler.

"Miss you mama"

Carla smiled, all of the worries of the day forgotten as she had Dempsey back in her arms. "I missed you too," she settled her on her hip and said a polite bye to the woman who worked there that she'd spoken to before leaving the nursery and walking in the direction of her house.

"Made you dis" Dempsey waved a piece of paper at Carla as she spoke using one hand while wrapping the other around her neck.

"Oh really? What's this?" Carla smiled, taking the paper from her to find a painting with two people on which she guessed were the two of them. "Oh clever girl, I think we're going to have to stick this up when we get in. What do you think?"

Dempsey nodded "I choose?"

Carla smiled and nodded "of course you can darlin'"

Once they got back to the house, Carla put Dempsey down and her bag for nursery to one side. "Let's get you something to eat yeah?"

Dempsey nodded before racing off into the house and Carla wandered thorough into the kitchen. On opening the cupboards she sighed, there was two slices of bread and one egg in and she had no money to buy anything else. Carla ran her tongue over her teeth, swallowing hard before she turned around and began making the egg for Dempsey so that she could have it with soldiers. Her stomach rumbled and she knew having nothing for her dinner wouldn't have helped the situation but she knew there was no contest in feeding herself or her daughter. Carla put the water into a pan to boil and she frowned at the quiet of the house. "Dempsey?" she called and on getting no answer she stepped out of the kitchen and frowned when she found her kneeling on the pink mats in the living room. "What are you doing?"

"Drawing . . ."

"Give me that"

"My pen"

"It's not you're pen it's my lip liner"

"Lips"

Carla nodded and held her hand out, Dempsey hesitated for a moment before giving the liner to Carla.

"Thank you" she picked Dempsey back up and walked through into the kitchen "come on let's get you something to eat."

Ten minutes later and Carla was sitting at the table in the kitchen with Dempsey who was tucking into her tea, Carla had her arms wrapped gently around her waist as she waited for her to finish. "Are we going to get you in the bath after you've had this?"

Dempsey nodded and offered Carla a piece of toast though she shook her head "no thank you baby, you eat it"

"Mama no hungry?"

Carla smiled and shook her head "I've had my tea"

"When?"

"Earlier . . ."

Dempsey nodded and it was only a couple of moments later when she spoke again "finished" she stated and Carla smiled before nodding and proceeding to take Dempsey upstairs. "Bath now yeah"

Dempsey nodded "where my toys?"

"In my bedroom on the bed, are you going to go and get them?"

Dempsey nodded and raced off into the bedroom Carla used while she leaned over to turn the taps on so the water began to slowly fill the bath. When Dempsey re-entered the bathroom and fell into Carla's lap she laughed. "Whoa speedy, what's the hurry?"

"I get in?"

Carla smiled and after undressing her she turned tap off and checked the water wasn't to hot before lifting Dempsey to put her into the bath. As soon as she was in the water and Carla had passed her the yellow rubber duck and the pale pink octopus she played with she began splashing water all over while she played.

Carla talked to her while she was in the bath, getting soaked in the process. Once she'd washed her hair and lifted her out, Carla dried her and changed her into a clean set of pajamas before telling her a story once she was in bed. After waiting until she was settled Carla got a bath herself and on getting out she changed and dried her hair before sitting on the side of the bed. She sighed quietly and ran her hand over Dempsey's hair gently. She found herself wondering what Liam had thought when he'd gotten her e-mail earlier that day though shook the thoughts away as soon as she could. She couldn't go there, there were so many other things she needed to worry about.

Carla curled up in bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter to hold her close as she breathed in her scent and tried to settle herself. She jumped when the message tone from her phone sounded through the room and she sat up, leaning over to pick it up although when she did and she opened the text she wished she never had.

_"It's only a matter of time before I find you Carla and when I do I will make sure you wish you had never stepped foot out of the house."_

Carla took the sim card out of the phone with shaking hands and managed to snap it, dropping the phone onto the floor while desperately hoping she would never be found. Her hold on Dempsey got a little tighter as a stray tear dripped down her cheek.


	7. Chapter 7

_Thank you once again for the feedback on this chapter, I am so glad that you seem to be enjoying this. For those of you who said you were intrigued by Carla's past, this chapter should give you a bit more of an idea of what had happened to her. :-) I think I have sent a private message to everyone who has commented on this fic so to the person who signed in as "Guest" as I can't private message you, a huge thank you to you. :-) I hope you all like this bit._

_Carla laid on the white couch with her daughter and sighed quietly, she had been ill for a couple of days and all she'd been given by the doctor was some medicine, saying that they needed to let the bug run it's course. Dempsey was sitting in Carla's lap as she ran her hand over her back gently, her crying had just ceased and her cheeks were still damp with tears. Carla passed Dempsey a dummy gently which she immediately took from her "shall we take you to bed hey?" Carla whispered, kissing the side of her daughter's head as she ran her hand over her curls._

_"We still have snuggles?" Dempsey questioned through the dummy she was using, though Carla understood what she was saying to her having gotten used to her own little baby language._

_Carla nodded "if you want to . . ."_

_"Carry" Dempsey stated and Carla nodded as she wrapped her arms around her back and under her bum while Dempsey nuzzled into her neck._

_Carla was curled up in bed with Dempsey who had nestled into her as she ran her hand up and down her back she was glad that it was slowly helping her to drop off. She knew that if Dempsey was tired there was even less chance she would feel better the following day so she hoped that that night would be better than the previous one._

_Carla had jut started to drop off herself when she felt a cold hand trail up her leg and underneath the night dress that she was wearing. She turned around and as soon as she did Frank's lips were on her's, his tongue invading her mouth. She could smell the Whiskey and taste the cigarettes on him and it made her want to vomit. It was seconds before she pulled away and spoke in nothing above a whisper, desperately hoping that he wouldn't kick off. "Stop . . . In case she wakes up."_

_"Come into our room"_

_"Frank, she isn't well"_

_He tutted "oh there's nothing wrong with her, you're overreacting."_

_"Like you would know" Carla snapped "you've never been interested in her, she's not a boy so you're not bothered. You never were even before I had her; all you care about is going around with your mates down the pub playing the big man. Some man, you don't even care about your own child." When Frank reached out and grabbed the side of her chin so hard she was sure there was a bruise there immediately regretted her outburst, he just made her so mad._

_"You better be back in that bedroom in 5 minutes" he hissed, pushing her head back before leaving._

_Shit, Carla thought why couldn't I have just kept my thoughts to myself. She bit down on her lip gently and moved to get out of the bed when Dempsey stirred and whimpered as she began to get up. "Mama you leave me?"_

_Carla swallowed hard "of course not baby"_

_"Snuggles?"_

_Carla nodded and kissed Dempsey gently before curling up with her in the bed once more. She knew that as angry as Frank would be that she hadn't gone into the bedroom as he had instructed, she couldn't leave Dempsey. "I always want snuggles with you" she whispered._

_"always always?"_

_Carla nodded "does your tummy still hurt?"_

_Dempsey nodded "make it stop mama"_

_"I'm trying sweetheart" Carla moved her hand to rub Dempsey's back in a soothing manner and around 20 minutes later she was settled back in the bed, a little more soundly this time. Carla got up and swallowed hard, stepping out of the bedroom and onto the landing and she slipped past the bedroom she shared with Frank to dash to the stairs but he grabbed her around the waist before she could make it down them. Frank pulled her sideways into the bedroom and closed the door heavily as Carla found herself utterly panic stricken. He lashed out and hit her hard and in seconds Carla found herself on the floor with her lip bleeding. "Frank . . . Please, she was upset . . ."_

_"Did you really think I was just going to let that go? You speaking to me like I'm nothing?" he raged._

_Carla frantically shook her head "no . . . I'm sorry . . . I didn't mean it . . ."_

_Frank laughed; "of course you didn't" he moved to hold the hair at the back of her head while pulling her up to her feet._

_Before Carla could get her balance Frank pushed her back against the bed and she found him laying over her. "I'm sorry . . . Really . . . Please, just . . . Let go . . ." Carla stuttered in a whisper, her voice raw with emotion._

_"You are mine Carla and I think you need reminding of that . . ."_

Carla sat up sharply in a cold sweat; she pushed her hair back with her hand gently as an overwhelming feeling of nausea came over her. She jumped up and dashed into the bathroom before throwing up violently into the toilet. Carla couldn't even go back to thinking about what had happened after her nightmare had ended but she was so glad that she had gotten out when she had. Carla checked that Dempsey was still settled in bed and made sure the stair gate was on before she got a shower.

It wasn't long before Carla wandered back into the bedroom, wrapped in a towel, her hair was wet but she knew she had more than enough time to get ready. She bit down on her bottom lip gently and sat down on the bed. She leant forward a little, her arms in her lap as she thought back to the nightmare she'd endured that morning and felt an urge to cry. Which she did. Carla wasn't sure how long she had been crying for but she was pulled from her thoughts and her emotions when she felt tiny hands against her back. "Mama? Why you cry?"

Carla shook her head a little and sniffed quietly "I'm not baby, I've just had a shower"

Dempsey tried to climb into Carla's lap and wobbled a little as she did so "all clean?"

Carla laughed quietly and nodded as she wrapped her arm around Dempsey's waist as she stood on her lap. She smiled when Dempsey put her hands on the back of her head and pulled her close so that her cheek was against her chest and tummy, mimicking what Carla did when she was upset. "Hair's wet mama"

"I know baby" Carla whispered, surprised at just how quickly things could be put to one side by spending a couple of precious moments with her daughter.

"I dry it?"

"I want a kiss" Carla smiled as she lay back against the bed and brought Dempsey with her so that she was laid against her chest.

Dempsey chuckled and placed her hands either side of Carla's cheeks as she pushed them together gently before pouting her own lips to mimic how Carla's were "you like dis"

Carla laughed and moved Dempsey's hands before kissing her once. "Right come on Mrs, we need to get you ready for nursery."

"I stay here?"

Carla shook her head "not today darlin'"

Carla had dropped Dempsey off at nursery a little later than usual after having to scrimp though her purse to get together 40p for some sweets for her which she guessed would be her breakfast, though she wouldn't have encouraged it she didn't have anything else. After the day before and what had happened at Underworld she guessed she wouldn't be welcome back and she was just thinking about going to try and find another job when a hand held her arm gently. "You're not avoiding me by any chance are you?"

Carla bit down in her bottom lip gently when she turned to find Liam and she swallowed hard "don't flatter yourself," she turned to walk away but was stopped when Liam tentatively reached out to take her hand and she felt a spark run through her that she'd never felt before. After a second or two she moved her hand and shook her head a little. "What? Did you want something else?"

"Hey don't be like this with me, I waited here to talk to you . . ."

"I don't want to talk to you"

"You should be at work"

"I'm not going in, have you not worked that one out yet genius?"

"Genius?"

"You're the one who owns all of the business aren't you?"

"Come for a coffee and talk?"

"That's what got me into this mess to begin with"

Liam pouted, "don't make me beg Carla . . ."

She couldn't help the smirk that passed her lips in response to what Liam had said. "Oh . . . I think I might enjoy it"

"Fine . . . Please come for a coffee with me . . ."

"That's not proper begging . . ."

"That's as much begging as you're going to get now come on."

Carla sat in the coffee shop, at the same table she'd sat at the first day she'd met Liam and she couldn't help thinking that it felt like she'd known him much longer than she really had. Once again she was pulled from her thoughts by Liam speaking. "Penny for them . . ."

"Huh?"

"Your thoughts . . ."

"Oh . . . I was just thinking about this really irritating guy I met recently"

"Oh really, how irritating?"

Carla smirked "I'd say very . . . He just won't leave me alone"

"Maybe you just have a natural charm that makes him want to come back for more"

"More of what?"

Liam smirked himself "what are you offering?"

Carla tilted her head to the side a little as she raised an eyebrow "cheeky"

"Always" he smiled and Carla was powerless to stop herself from smiling back at him.

"Come back to work Carla . . ."

"Liam, I didn't take that job on to get a load of abuse thrown at me, I thought I was doing you a favour as much as you were doing me one but you failed to mention that I'd stolen someone's job. Now, while I don't make a habit of being told what to do by overgrown schoolgirls I know I wouldn't be very happy if my job was taken from me . . ."

Liam smirked "overgrown schoolgirls?"

Carla nodded "I suppose it suits her really"

"Why's that?"

"She seems to act like she's in a playground . . ."

Liam smirked and had a drink of his coffee to disguise it, changing the subject of the conversation completely when he spoke again. "Maria decided she wanted to give that job to someone else and it wasn't her decision to make. Now I have spoken to her and I've made sure that she doesn't even think about repeating what she did yesterday . . . So will you come back?"

"I drive a very hard bargain Mr. Connor . . ."

"If you come back I will take you and Dempsey out, my treat?"

Carla pretended to consider the offer for a couple of moments before nodding "alright . . . But I want one more thing . . ."

"Oh?"

"An advance on my wages this week?"

"You're right, you do drive a hard bargain Miss R" he grinned "but as it's you I think I can sort something out"

Carla smiled and nodded "so as of now technically I'm skiving?"

"You were skiving all morning"

"How? I might not have come back . . ."

"I'd have agreed to almost anything to make sure that you did . . ."

Carla gave a wicked laugh "oh I wish I'd have known before we began these negotiations"

"I don't think I want to know why"

Carla laughed again before having another mouthful of coffee.

"I'll give you a lift back to work and then meet you back at the nursery when you pick Dempsey up?"

Carla nodded "yeah sure"

As they made their way to the car that Liam's driver was waiting in he spoke to her once more. "One more thing I needed to ask you . . ."

"Oh what's that then?" she got into the car and Liam sat down beside her.

"What's your number?"

Carla frowned "why?"

"Well . . ." he put his seatbelt on and continued "when members of my workforce send e-mails to me in which they are furious, and I have no way of getting hold of them when after the knock off early, it's very annoying." Liam smirked when Carla blushed.

"Thinking about me all night were you?" Carla teased, her voice considerably quieter as it wasn't just the two of them in the car.

"Oh wouldn't you like to know" he smiled and Carla bit down on her lip as she shook her head at him, "well your phone number?"

"I don't have one?"

Liam frowned "you do, you had one when you were around mine while you were waiting for the call about a job?"

Carla nodded "I know . . . It's broken"

"Oh right . . . Well I suppose you can't give me a number you don't have."

"That's true"

"Are you going to get another?"

"I don't know, not anytime soon unless I get given one"

When they arrived at the factory, Carla got out and headed into the office on her own as Liam had another meeting he needed to get to and she had only been in there a moment when the people who worked on the machines gathered in a group where they spent their coffee breaks and she couldn't help wondering if they were talking about her. She guessed they probably were. Carla turned on the computer after sitting down behind her desk and as she opened up her e-mail inbox she bit down on the inside of her mouth when there was an e-mail there from Liam which she thought he had probably sent only minutes after receiving hers the day before.

_"I don't know what you're talking about or what has happened, just wait there and I'll come over as soon as I can x"_

_A kiss, there was a kiss_ Carla thought and a smile spread over her lips at it. She silently wondered whether it had been automatic but quickly shook that thought away, he hadn't put kisses in the other e-mails . . .

When the door opened Carla snapped out of what she was thinking and frowned when she found Dom standing opposite her. He must have only dropped her off 20 minutes ago. She gave a small smile "Hi Dom, did I forget something?"

Dom shook his head "no, I've just been told to drop this off for you"

Carla frowned as she was handed a box with a red ribbon tied in a bow around it. "I don't understand . . ."

"Open it, you will . . . It's from Mr. Connor . . ."

Carla hesitated for a moment, her apprehension apparent as she undid the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a top of the range mobile phone. "I can't accept this . . . Please take it back and tell him that . . ."

"I can't do that Miss, I've been instructed by Mr Connor to make sure that you keep it"

Carla sighed before nodding she knew there was little she could do now and decided to take her issue up with Liam. "Thanks Dom . . ."

He smiled and nodded before leaving and as soon as he had gone Carla was on the computer typing out an e-mail to Liam.

_"What are you playing at? Those phones cost a fortune; you didn't need to buy me one. If you meant what you had said about what happened yesterday not happening again then you have no reason to get in touch with me apart from when I'm at work do you? You need to take it back."_

Carla frowned when moments later the box to the side of her on the desk buzzed. She removed the lid and found the screen of the phone had lit up with a message. _"Your wish is my command sweetheart"_

Carla frowned and after a moment replied to him. _"What do you mean, I didn't ask you to get me a phone"_

_"You hinted at it this morning in the car . . ."_

_"Oh no no, you're not doing that, I was just talking."_

_"Well it doesn't matter now it's non refundable."_

_"More fool you for buying it"_

_"Just think of it as your work phone if it makes you feel better. Besides, you can't go without one really."_

_"Why's that, in case you are thinking about me on a lonely night again"_

_"I don't have to be lonely to think about you, Carla"_

_She swallowed and a moment later another reply came through. "I have to go into a meeting, accept the phone before I go please or you might have me so distracted about the money I've wasted on it that I lose a whole lot more through not being able to think about other things . . ."_

_"Oh well, how could I refuse now."_

Liam smirked_ "thank you x"_

Carla smiled, another kiss. She sat back in the chair a little and went into the phone to edit the name that Liam had saved himself under, which was _"your favorite man"_. However, as her finger hovered over the delete button she decided against it. Why change it? It was true, he was her favorite man.


	8. Chapter 8

Carla spent the rest of the morning and some of the afternoon in work, though when it reached two o clock she left and went to the nursery to pick Dempsey up. Carla had just lifted Dempsey to hold on her hip when Liam walked over to her. She smiled, remembering their earlier text conversation over text on the new phone he had bought for her. "Hello"

Carla smiled "hi . . ."

"Have you decided on what you want to do?"

Carla shook her head "no have you thought of anything?"

Liam shook his head before speaking again, though this time his question was aimed at little Liam and Dempsey. "Where would you two like to go?"

Dempsey hesitated for a moment before she answered him "we go swimming?"

"I'm not sure . . ."

Before Carla could finish Liam interrupted "how would you like that son?" he questioned and smiled in response to little Liam's nod. "So swimming it is then?" he raised his eyebrow a little and turned to Carla.

"I'm not sure we can . . ."

"Why not?" he frowned.

"I need new swimming things and so does she and I've not had time to get any"

"So get some?"

"Well you haven't sorted my wages out yet so I'd have a job doing that . . ."

"So let's go to a shop and I'll get you whatever you need"

"Liam, I can't expect you to buy me clothes"

"You're not, I'm offering and technically, they're not clothes." He smirked, "come on . . ."

"Please mama" Dempsey pouted and Carla sighed in defeat, which caused Liam to grin.

"I don't suppose I've been left with much choice have I?"

Liam shook his head and laughed "nope" he stepped over to the door of the car and opened it for her to get inside.

After going to a shop with Liam, Carla had gotten herself a bikini and Dempsey a little swimming costume. She hadn't been too keen on the idea of spending her night in a pool full of people but she guessed that if it was what Dempsey wanted to do then she should make the effort. Carla would have been lying if she'd have said she wasn't a little nervous about wearing so little in Liam's presence though she refuse to admit the reason behind that to herself.

After getting into the changing area Carla and Dempsey split from Liam and little Liam, but arranged to meet the two of them by the side of the changing rooms before making their way over to the pool. In the changing room, Carla helped an excited Dempsey to change into her swimming costume before blowing up armbands for her. After placing one on each arm she changed into the bikini that Liam had just bought for her.

"Mama we go now?"

"In a minute"

"You take long time"

Carla laughed and nodded "yeah I know."

After putting their things into a bag she zipped it up and stepped out of the changing room and over to the locker that she'd got a key for, Dempsey leant against her legs a little. Once Carla had put the bags away the band that held the locker key around her wrist she headed out of the changing area and over to the pool, smiling when she found Liam was already there. Before she had chance to speak Dempsey raced off towards the pool and Carla was quick to grab her around the waist and lift her from the floor. "Don't you dare run off in here, Dempsey."

"You were quicker than me"

Carla frowned "what do you mean?"

"He was right off over there" Liam gestured to further ahead in front of them where the slides were and Carla laughed.

"It seems we might have our work cut out for us"

"You're not wrong there"

"Well just remember if this all goes wrong that it was your idea to come here"

Liam smirked "which pool?"

"I think we better start with the babies one before we venture off into the big one, don't you?"

Liam nodded and laughed a little "yeah I think you might be right there . . . Ladies first . . ."

Carla walked through into the pool and on getting into water she knew would be comfortable enough for Dempsey to stand up in she put her down and was met with an excited squeal on doing so. Carla smiled at her excitement and moved to sit down in the pool, her back now against the side. "You don't get out of this pool without me"

Dempsey nodded her understanding before plodding off further into the water. Liam put little Liam down and told him something similar to what Carla had said before he ran off to meet Dempsey. Liam sat down beside Carla with his back against the side too, and Carla was glad that the pool wasn't too busy. There were only two other people with their children and Carla was beginning to think that spending the time in a swimming baths might not be as bad as she first thought.

"So . . ."

When Liam spoke Carla turned to the side and let a small smile pass her lips, "so . . ." she repeated and bit down on her bottom lip a little as she silently admitted how fit his body was. She couldn't deny she had taken note of it and she was impressed, though she had no intention of telling Liam that.

"It would seem that we have time to talk . . ."

"So it does . . . You know, people of a suspicious mind might think that you're deliberately creating situations where you can spend time with me . . ."

He shrugged before turning to her with a devilish grin "well who knows, they might be right . . ."

Though Carla didn't turn to Liam he knew that there was a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. There were a couple of moments of quiet between them before Carla spoke up again, with a question that changed the conversation completely. "Does wifey know you're out with the enemy?"

Liam raised his eyebrow "enemy?"

"I can't imagine she's very fond of me"

Liam chuckled a little and then shook his head "she's not around."

"Oh . . ."

"It's her mum's birthday this week and she's taking her away for a couple of days and then on to a spa weekend."

"It's alright for some . . ."

"You're here with me Carla, how could you possibly want anything else?"

She laughed and gave a gentle shake of her head in response to what he had said. "Why did she come back for a night if she was going away again?"

Liam shrugged "for Liam I guess and for me, of course"

Carla smirked "you're so annoying sometimes."

"How?"

"Well when your ego gets in the way of my conversation for a start."

He laughed

Carla turned to him and smiled at the sound, before thinking aloud. "I'd love to just be able to jet off whenever I felt like it."

"Have you ever been abroad?"

Carla nodded "I lived in France for a little while with . . ." she paused for a moment, not ready to share that bit of her history with him yet. " . . . Dempsey but then we moved back here and we haven't been since."

"Is there somewhere you would like to go?"

"Like I would tell you if there was."

"Why?"

"Well I might end up with a couple of tickets for us landing on my desk tomorrow and be forced to accept them."

Liam laughed "fine, point taken . . ." he hesitated for a moment, a little unsure of what he was going to say next though he didn't want to admit to himself why. However, before he could get the full question out, Dempsey raced towards Carla through the water. "I've got something to ask you . . ."

"Mama" Dempsey grinned and plonked herself down in Carla's lap.

"You know for a dinky little thing you're pretty heavy"

"No you heavy"

Carla smirked and raised her hands to smooth her now wet hair back before turning to Liam who was sitting at the side of her. "You having fun mate?"

He smiled shyly and nodded "you take me on slide?"

Carla nodded "course I will sweetheart." She turned to Liam before speaking again "do you mind sitting with her while I take him?"

Liam shook his head in answer, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I go too?" Dempsey questioned, a small frown now upon her expression.

"Once I've taken Liam, you've got to go one at a time baby." Carla held her hand out to Liam who took it and moved to stand at her side.

"But on the other hand, you can spend some time with me . . ." Liam told Dempsey, giving her a playful grin.

"I make you ready to swim?"

"Go on then"

Carla bit down on her bottom lip to silence a laugh that was about to escape her when Dempsey made Liam help her to take her armbands off to out on him. "Have fun . . ." she teased, before picking little Liam up and walking towards the stairs to get to the slide with him. "Your daddy doesn't know what he's let himself in for."

After swimming and getting some food Liam had persuaded Carla to go back for a drink and she had accepted. She was now sitting in his huge living room with a glass of red wine rested in her lap with him sitting beside her on the couch. "Dempsey really enjoyed today . . . Thank you . . ."

Liam smiled "thank you for taking your job back"

"It should be me thanking you for that too"

"No, it shouldn't"

Carla had a little more of the wine and hesitated for a second before speaking again, a little quieter than she had been. "What was it that you were going to ask me?"

"Oh . . . That"

Carla nodded "yeah, that . . ."

"I throw a party every year for some friends and people that work for me and I wanted to ask you if you would come. I've already invited everyone else from the factory and I didn't want to leave out my favorite employee . . ."

Carla laughed "favorite?"

Liam nodded

"Now what would that do for staff moral?" Carla raised her eyebrow a little and tilted her head to the side so that it was rested gently against the back of the couch she was sitting on.

Liam's arm was stretched out across the back of the couch and when Carla tilted her head to the side he let his fingertips brush the nape of her neck gently, grateful when she didn't move away. When he spoke his voice was considerably quieter and now nothing above a whisper. "I won't tell if you don't . . ."

Carla swallowed hard at the words he chose, the feeling of his fingertips against her skin, the offer of the party, her feeling's for him? She rose the glass to her lips to have a little more of the wine that was in it as a way of distracting herself from the road her thoughts were going down. She couldn't do that now; especially when she was sitting next to the man they were about. "The party . . ." she breathed and Liam nodded slowly. "What day is it?"

"Friday . . ."

"What time?"

"You can come whenever, I've told everyone else about half seven though."

Carla nodded, his fingertips distracting her from what she was trying to say though as distracting as they were she knew that she would have been disappointed if he'd made any attempt to move and stop his touch. "Can I bring Dempsey . . . It's just I have no one that could take care of her right now . . ."

"Of course you can, what would Liam do without her?"

Carla gave a small smile "they do seem to be getting on rather well"

"They're not the only ones . . ."

Carla swallowed once more as quiet fell upon them, the only sound in the room of their breaths. Carla's heartbeat was ringing in her ears and though she wanted to kiss Liam, she just about managed to stop herself. "I'd better get going to put Dempsey to bed . . . Thank you for tonight and for the wine . . ." she whispered, before getting up and reluctantly moving away from him.

Liam nodded and stood himself "I think Liam will be ready for bed too . . ."

"Where are they, in the playroom?"

Liam smiled and nodded "yeah come on, let's go and get them"

Carla followed Liam into the playroom and as she stepped through the door she smiled at what she found. Liam and Dempsey were curled up side by side on a huge beanbag flat out. "I guess they were even more tired than we thought," she whispered.

Liam nodded in agreement "I guess they were . . . Do you want to stay here for the night?"

Carla shook her head "no . . . You don't have to do that, but if you have a blanket it might help?"

Liam smiled and nodded in response, he left the room and Carla smiled at the to toddlers before her. Liam returned only seconds later with a blanket for her and she nodded her thanks before carefully picking Dempsey up and wrapping her in it. She stirred a little but Carla ran her hand over her back to settle her once more. Dempsey nuzzled into Carla's neck and let one arm fall over her shoulder as she clutched the other in a fist against her chest.

"I'll get Dom to take you home," Liam whispered and though Carla didn't want him to so he wouldn't find out where she lived, she knew it would be unfair to walk home with Dempsey in the cold.

"Thank you . . ."

Moments later he returned and Carla followed him it into the hallway and to the front door as Dom exited and walked to the car before getting inside. "I'm glad you enjoyed tonight . . ." he whispered.

Carla nodded and gave a small smile and when Liam leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, Carla accepted, the pair of them lingering for a title longer than what could be considered as friendly. Carla reluctantly pulled away and gave a small, shy smile before turning around and walking to the car with her daughter. Once she was in the car Dom drove away from the house and Carla gave Liam a small wave before they were around the corner. It wasn't long before Carla was confronted with the question that she dreaded and she knew that there was little she could do but tell Dom her address. However, his reaction wasn't like what she had thought it might be and after telling him where she lived he just nodded and drove in that direction. It was only minutes before Carla arrived at home and Dom got out of the car and opened the door for her, she gave a grateful smile and got out with Dempsey in her arms once more. She turned the key in her front door and then spoke to Dom before he left.

"Dom . . . I would really appreciate it if you didn't tell Liam where I lived . . ."

He nodded once more "course miss, take care."

"You too . . ."


	9. Chapter 9

When Friday morning arrived Carla dropped Dempsey off at nursery before going into town. Liam had let her take the day off and with the share of her wages he had given her early, she decided to get both herself and Dempsey something new to wear to the party that Liam had invited them to. She wondered whether it was such a good idea to go given that she wouldn't really know anyone and as it was Liam's party, he probably wouldn't be there for her to talk to. The thought made her sigh and ending up like a spare part wasn't something that she wanted. However, she had told Liam that she would go and she didn't want to go back on it now. Having been living in the area for not very long, Carla hoped that there would be people there that she could talk to and maybe even become friends with, but after how things had gone at the factory, she wasn't sure that would be the case.

Once Dempsey was back from nursery Carla had gotten a shower and given her a bath before changing into a new black dress she'd bought herself. The dress went too halfway down her thighs, had a square neck and chiffon sleeves. She slipped her feet into a pair of nude colored stilettos and softly curled her hair before doing her make-up. She had no idea what she was supposed to wear and just hoped what she had chosen wouldn't make her stand out like a sore thumb. Once Carla was ready she picked Dempsey up and put her onto the bed before changing her into a little white dress and a pair of cute pink shoes. After dressing her, Carla placed a little bow clip into her mane of black curls before picking her up.

"There we are, beautiful"

"You pretty mama"

Carla smiled "so are you princess"

"We go party now?"

Carla nodded "are you excited"

"Yeah, I play with Liam"

"Yeah of course. Did you play with him at nursery today?"

Dempsey nodded "we had two cakes not one . . ."

"Were you only supposed to have one?"

Dempsey nodded "we hungry"

Carla bit back a laugh "did your teacher know?"

"No we hid"

"Don't do that again . . ."

"They taste nice"

"I'm sure they did but if your teacher tells you just to have one, you only have one"

Dempsey hesitated for a moment before nodding "we make cakes mama?"

Carla nodded "yeah we might make some one day if you want to."

"Morrow?"

"Maybe, if you're not too tired."

Dempsey rested her head gently against Carla's shoulder and Carla turned to kiss the side of her hair. After picking her bag up she wrapped one of her cardigans around Dempsey and left the house, locking the door before she turned to get into a taxi. Carla turned to the side when Dempsey spoke and gave a small smile.

"Dummy mama?"

Carla picked up the pink dummy that was in her bag and passed it to Dempsey who put it into her mouth immediately. Carla knew that she was tired and though she had wanted her to have a nap she hadn't had time after getting her back from nursery to then get the both of them ready and be at Liam's for the time she had told him she would be.

On arriving at Liam's Carla paid the taxi driver before wandering up to the door and knocking. When Carla had knocked, Dempsey leant forward in her arms and did the same as April opened the door. "Hello Miss, come through"

Carla stepped into the hall "call me Carla please . . ."

April smiled "Liam is through here Carla . . ."

Carla was lead through the house and out into the huge garden where Liam had had a marquee put up. Carla gasped quietly at the size of it and dreamt of things that she might like to do if she had as much money as he had. She silently wondered how he had gotten it all given that he was still so young but she was pulled from her thoughts when Liam reached her. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a smart white shirt, his hair was gelled a little and once again he smelt delicious. "Hey . . ." she smiled, adjusting a wriggling Dempsey in her arms.

Liam was quiet for a moment, rendered speechless at her beauty, "I'm glad you came . . ." he stated quietly.

"Thank you for inviting me . . ."

"You're welcome" Liam smiled before reaching out to Dempsey to hold her hand gently. "Hey you, what's wrong? Don't you want to be at my party?" Liam pouted.

Dempsey giggled "you silly . . ."

Liam gasped in mock shock "I'm not silly"

"You is"

Carla smirked "you won't win this argument Liam, let me tell you. Is baby Liam in the playroom?"

Liam laughed and nodded "do you want me to get you a drink for when you get back?"

Carla nodded "please . . ." She then turned on her heel and walked through the kitchen and out into the hallway before turning right and stepping inside the room that Dempsey usually found herself in when they were at Liam's. "Hey mate" Carla smiled when she walked through the door and found Liam playing with a big truck. She put Dempsey down who ran over to him and picked up another of the trucks that was on the floor. "Have fun you two . . ." Carla smiled before turning to leave, but was stopped when Dempsey spoke.

"You play mama?"

"urr . . ."

"You have dis one?" Liam asked, holding a yellow truck up to Carla as he spoke and she found herself unable to decline the offer.

"Thank you" she smiled and sat down on the floor with them "so, what's this game we play then?"

"We race" Liam grinned

"Like dis vroom vroom" Dempsey added and Carla laughed.

"One . . . Two . . . Free" Liam counted and on getting to three he and Dempsey pushed their trucks forwards so that they rolled ahead and onto a mat. Carla did the same and laughed once more when Liam cheered after his truck arrived in the mat first.

"I win"

"Race again" Dempsey announced before running to get the trucks from the mat.

Carla was passed the truck she had been using by Dempsey and Liam counted them in once more before racing and this time Carla won. She cheered playfully but came to a sharp stop when Liam spoke up from behind her. "Having fun are you?"

Carla turned around quickly and blushed, shaking her head a little before she stood up. "I was just . . . Getting down with the kids"

He smirked "in here Ryan mate . . ." Carla frowned in confusion for a moment until a boy of around five with a mop of dark hair walked into the room. "You know where your mum is if you want her don't you?" He nodded and Liam turned to walk out of the room, waiting for Carla.

Carla kissed Dempsey once more and told her to be good before leaving her to play, following Liam out of the room. "Who was that little boy?"

"He's my nephew"

"Oh right . . ." she smiled

"I'm glad you came tonight . . . Thank you"

"Like I said before, thank you for inviting me . . ."

"You're more than welcome," on getting outside Liam lead her through into the marquee and she swallowed hard. There was a dance floor at the bottom of it and tables all up one side with food on, with tables up the other for people to sit at. Really it was just a big tent and the thought that all of this could fit inside it made Carla want to laugh, though she wasn't sure why. For a girl from a council estate, a single mum that had very little, she felt so out of her depth being where she was. In the house where Carla lived she didn't have a garden, but a yard and she would have struggled to fit a table and chairs in it, let alone a posh tent for a party. "I've got you a drink . . ." Liam smiled, and Carla was pulled from her thoughts.

She took the glass of champagne from him and gave a small smile "thank you"

Liam nodded and then smiled at someone over her shoulder, which caused Carla to turn around. "Carla I'd like you to meet my sister, Michelle. Michelle this is Carla, Carla Michelle" he smiled.

Carla gave a small nod and smiled in acknowledgement to what Liam had said. She could tell they were related and the warm smile that she was given from the woman who she guessed was around the same age as her made her feel a little easier about the situation that she was in.

"Where's Ciaran?" Liam questioned, "he is coming isn't he?"

Michelle nodded "yeah, he's over there with Peter Barlow"

"Have fun ladies" Liam grinned before walking across the floor and over to where a group of men were sitting.

"Do you want to sit down love?" Michelle asked.

Carla nodded and on sitting down beside Michelle she found that they clicked immediately. "Liam said that you've just started working for him?"

"Yeah, in the office in Underworld, I needed a job and he needed someone there so . . ." she shrugged "it helped out both of us."

"Are you enjoying it?"

Carla nodded "I think so yeah, it's taking a little getting used to."

Michelle smiled "I'm sure you're fine, he wouldn't have you in there if you weren't."

"What is it that you do?"

"I have a salon"

When Michelle answered Carla remembered the first conversation she'd had with Liam when he had told her that he owned the salon that his sister ran. She smiled, she could imagine her working there. Her hair was immaculate. "Oh I imagine that's a nice job."

"It can be" she smiled. "Liam said you had a little one?"

"Yeah, I do. Dempsey, she's two"

"The terrible two's hey?"

Carla laughed and nodded "yes, she can throw world class tantrums when she wants to."

"Sounds like Ryan"

"Oh, you have a son?"

She nodded "yeah, he's 5."

Carla smiled, remember the little boy who had walked into the playroom who Liam had told her was his nephew. However, before she could answer what Michelle had said a blonde woman walked over to them with a smile. "Do you mind if I join you?"

Michelle shook her head and the woman took a seat. "Leanne this is Carla, Carla this is Leanne."

"Hi" Leanne smiled, as she pulled out a chair to sit down.

"Hello . . ."

"We were just talking about kids . . ." Michelle told her.

Leanne laughed, "oh I know all about that"

"She has a son too," Michelle stated

"Well, he's a step-son technically but we're trying to find out how I go about adopting him."

Carla smiled "oh, how old is he?"

"He's 9, just."

"Is he here?"

Leanne nodded "yeah, he's playing Peter's mum and dad were going to babysit but it turns out they were going out too."

"Oh right, well it's not like he'll have a lack of things to play with in here."

"I know what you mean, when Simon comes back from here he's always after something else."

Carla laughed before having some more of her drink, feeling a little more relaxed about things now that she had people to talk to. She was beginning to enjoy herself and she was glad that she'd made the effort to come rather than backing out at the last minute.

"Well" Michelle began, a mischievous smile forming over her features, "as the kids are sorted what do you girls say to having some more champagne and maybe a dance later on?"

Carla nodded a small smile playing on her lips as she spoke, "I think it'd be rude not to . . ."

They smiled once more before clinking glasses, going back to their conversation.

Liam now found himself on a table sitting with a group of his friends who he'd invited. They lived around the area and he went to the pub with them regularly, when they'd first met they thought that given all of the money he had he would think himself better than they were but were pleasantly surprised when they found out he was quite the opposite and shared a similar sense of humor to all of them. The group included Peter Barlow, Steve McDonald, Ciaran McArthy, Gary Windass, Kirk Sutherland and Chesney Brown. Steve had just told them a story about something that had happened with his ex Tracy and the table had roared in laughter. As the laughter died down Steve nodded in gesture to where Carla was sitting and spoke up. "er, Who's that Liam?"

Liam smirked and shook his head at something Ciaran had said before he answered Steve. "Who?"

"The dark haired bird sat over there with your Michelle and Leanne."

"Carla . . ."

"Oh, Carla is it . . ." Gary raised his eyebrow suggestively and Liam shook his head, immediately picking up on what he was trying to suggest.

"Yes, Carla who is managing the office at Underworld."

"Is that all?"

Ciaran laughed "something you want to tell us mate?"

Liam shook his head "no, there isn't."

"She is gorgeous mate . . ." Steve added

Liam smirked "oh I'll tell Liam that shall i?"

"Now there'll be no need for that."

"I hadn't even noticed," Liam lied.

"Yeah right" Peter scoffed.

"I tell you what, I think I'll go and get us some more drinks" Liam stated, before getting up from the table to go and get another round of drinks even though he hadn't needed to. Despite not wanting to admit it, deep down he knew that he'd got up, as the conversation at the able was a little too close for comfort for him. He knew he felt more for Carla than he should have as a married man and it seemed that regardless of what he did his thoughts always lead back to her and he found himself wanting to spend as much time with her as he could.


	10. Chapter 10

_Thank you all so much for the lovely replies you've left on the chapters of this fic. I wasn't sure how the last one would go down as it was a little bit of a filler, I think this one has more action in it though. Can I just say how good was Rob in last night's episodes of Coronation Street? Hope you enjoy this chapter. :-)_

It was now around eleven o clock and Carla had had her fair share of champagne and was at that moment in time on the dance floor, moving in time to the music with Michelle and Leanne. There were other people around them but none of whom Carla knew. She was pleasantly surprised at how much she had enjoyed the night she'd been a little worried about attending and had been more than willing to accept Michelle's offer of visiting her salon for a treatment in the near future. Carla silently wondered whether Maria had told anyone what had gone on between the two of them but given how people were acting around her she guessed not. She hoped that things wouldn't change if she was to mention it but given that she was married to Liam she was inclined to think they would. Carla bit down on the inside of her mouth and decided not to pursue the thoughts any further in case they ruined her night. Carla turned around when Michelle held her arm and gestured to Steve and Gary who had joined the group on the dance floor. Steve was doing some sort of goofy dance and Gary was stood beside him trying his best not to appear embarrassed. Carla and Michelle turned to one another and then burst into fits of laughter. Carla shook her head a little before leaning over to speak to her, raising her voice a little over the music. "Oh that poor boy" Carla laughed and was about to make a second comment to Michelle when she felt tiny hands on the back of her legs. She frowned and turned around, smiling when she found April and Dempsey. She picked Dempsey up and held her on her hip as April spoke.

"Liam has gone to bed Carla, she wanted her mum"

"Thanks for bringing her over here."

April nodded "you're welcome," she smiled and then retreated, and Carla found herself idly wondering where she was going and if she had to stay up until everyone had left.

"Tired mama" Dempsey stated, yawning.

Carla gave a small smile "I know you are sweetheart, you've done well to stay up this late. You're going to be so tired tomorrow . . ."

"Want my dummy?" Dempsey stated as she made a grab for the glass of champagne that Carla had hold of in her other hand, which she moved from her reach.

Carla nodded and turned around, but felt Michelle's had on her arm once more, which caused her to turn full circle.

Michelle smiled at Dempsey and Carla finished her drink before she could grab it once more, "hello beautiful . . ."

"Hello . . ." Dempsey whispered shyly and Carla ran her hand over her hair.

"She's gorgeous Carla"

"Thank you . . . Listen, I think I'm going to sit with her for a little while. Go and save him will you for goodness sake," Carla laughed, gesturing to Gary with a nod of her head before she walked back to one of the tables. She sat down with Dempsey on her lap. "Have you had fun baby?" Carla asked, opening her bag to get the pink dummy that was in there, handing it to Dempsey once she'd got it.

Dempsey put the dummy into her mouth before nodding in answer to Carla's question. "You won at trucks"

Carla smiled and wrapped her arms around Dempsey securely, "I know I did, did you win after I'd gone?"

Dempsey nodded "I made a new friend"

"Oh did you?"

"Ryan"

Carla smiled "is he nice?"

Dempsey nodded "he plays with blocks"

Carla smiled and kissed her on the top of the head before running her hand over her hair gently as Dempsey settled against her.

"Go bed mama?"

Carla nodded and shifted Dempsey a little so that she could stand up. "Yeah, let's say bye to Liam first though."

Carla held Dempsey on her hip and she nuzzled into her neck, but sat up with a frown after only a second. "Your hair tickles," Dempsey stated, shaking her head a little as Carla laughed and moved her hair so Dempsey could cuddle back up to her once more.

Carla smiled when Liam walked towards her; she met him halfway and stepped to one side on reaching him. "Hey, we've just come to say thank you for a lovely night but we're going to go."

"Already? It's only early . . ."

"I know but she's tired, she didn't have time for a nap this afternoon. She's done well to stay up this late."

"Well why don't you just stay here?"

"You don't have to do that, I'll go call a taxi."

"It's no trouble, really. The beds are already there and made up."

Carla hesitated for a moment before nodding "as long as you don't mind then, I'll take her up to bed now?"

Liam nodded and smiled "night night Dempsey"

Dempsey waved and Carla mouthed a "thank you" at him before turning around, walking through into the hall and then up the stairs. Carla wondered which room she was supposed to use but guessed as long as the one she picked was empty, then he wouldn't mind. On getting to the end of one side of the landing she opened the fourth door and found a large room with a double bed in the middle. There was a large TV on the wall opposite and a small brow tables at either side of the bed. One of them had a lamp on and the other nothing. Carla guessed that the table, which was free of any object, was so that whoever was staying in the room could use it for whatever they wanted. She closed the door to behind her and ventured a little further inside. Either side of the wall with the TV on there were two doors, one of them was glass and on opening it Carla found a walk in wardrobe which made her gasp quietly. She closed the door and walked to the other, and behind it she found a large en suite bathroom. Carla closed the second door and shook her head a little in awe at how beautiful the room was. Underneath the window there was a seat that was cushioned and built into the wall and Carla smiled, imagining sitting by the window thinking about what was going on.

After pausing by the window for a moment Carla turned around and walked over to the bed with Dempsey, she took the little shoes off that she was wearing and placed them on the floor before taking the clip out of her hair. She put it to one side on the bed and pulled back the thick cover before putting Dempsey in.

"Big bed" Dempsey stated and she moved so that she was laid out in a starfish position, causing Carla to laugh.

"It is, isn't it?" she smiled while getting up to close the thick luxurious curtains that were hanging by the window. After closing them, Carla kicked her shoes off and walked around the bed to lay down beside Dempsey, draping her arm across her gently so that she could run her hand up and down her back, something that she knew soothed her.

"You stay mama?"

Carla nodded "of course sweetheart . . ."

There were a couple of moments of quiet between them before Dempsey spoke up once more. "Liam, Liam's daddy?"

Carla nodded "yeah"

"Where my daddy?"

Carla stilled for a moment and swallowed hard at what Dempsey had asked, Carla had prepared herself for that question in the days after she had ran from Frank but when it wasn't asked she'd allowed herself to relax a little and tried to forget about it. Dempsey had spent very little time with Frank due to his business and social life and she guessed her lack of asking about him was due to those reasons. Carla found herself with no idea what to say to her daughter and there was a lengthy pause before she managed to force an answer, her voice a whisper. "What?"

"Where my daddy? He gone?"

Carla pressed her lips together for a moment as a way of delaying have to answer, and then nodded, before speaking up in answer to what Dempsey had asked. "It's just me and you baby . . ."

Dempsey hesitated for a moment, almost as thought she was processing what she had been told before she spoke once more. "I love you mama" she whispered and cuddled up to Carla in bed as she slowly drifted off.

Carla whispered that she loved her too and ran her hands over her back as she settled against her. She couldn't deny that she was shocked at the question but she was glad of how Dempsey had reacted to the answer. Carla was unsure how she would have reacted if she had given any hint that she had missed Frank, on one hand she would have wanted to stop that and let her visit him but on the other she wouldn't have for her safety and so she never had to go back there. The thought of doing so made her feel sick to the stomach.

Little did Carla know that in the other side of the bedroom door Liam stood after going to check on the two of them, he had caught the conversation she'd just had with her daughter and he couldn't help but feel he had trespassed into their lives in some way he shouldn't have. It hadn't been deliberate but he knew that he knew something he shouldn't and that even if he had been given the chance he wouldn't have erased his new knowledge of the woman that he was growing fonder of by the day. Liam also noted the change in Carla's tone when she spoke about Dempsey's father and he couldn't help wanting to know more about what had happened to them before they had moved.

A couple of hours later after leaving Dempsey once she had nodded off, Carla had gone back downstairs to the party and had continued drinking champagne and getting to know people. She had just said her goodbyes to Michelle who was the last to leave and after Liam had closed the front door she found herself standing opposite him in the large hallway unsure of what to say. "So . . ."

Liam grinned, "do you want another drink?" He asked, gesturing to the empty glass she was holding.

"Yes please"

Liam took Carla's hand and led her though into the living room, picking two glasses up on his way. Once she was inside he gestured to the couch "you can sit down sit down," he smiled and Carla found herself doing just that. Once he had poured the drinks Liam handed one to Carla and then sat down beside her. "So, have you enjoyed yourself?"

Carla nodded "yeah, I really have . . ." she paused for a moment; almost silently debating with herself whether she should add what she was thinking. In the end she decided to and spoke up again. "I did think about backing out at the last minute tonight . . ."

Liam raised his eyebrow "why?"

"I only knew you and I didn't want to feel like a spare part . . ." she admitted

Liam smiled "Carla, do you really think I would have left you on your own?"

Carla gave a shy smile and shook her head.

"So if I was to invite you again would you come?"

"I think I would yeah . . . If for no other reason than the champagne."

"Hey" Liam pouted playfully.

"What, it's really good champagne" Carla smirked.

Liam pushed her to one side playfully "is that supposed to console me?"

Carla kicked her shoes off by the couch and nudged him with her foot "behave or you'll make me spill this . . ."

"April will clean it up."

"If you stop it she won't have to . . ."

Liam smirked "what are you going to do about it?"

Carla nudged him with her foot once more and squealed and laughed at the same time when Liam grabbed it. "Stop it, give me my foot back . . ." Carla whispered, the small smile on her expression letting Liam know that despite trying to tell him off for what he was doing she was enjoying their joking around.

"Or what?" Liam smirked before pulling her leg gently so that she slid closer to him on the couch.

Carla laughed once more at his action before letting her head rest gently against his shoulder as Liam moved his arm to wrap around her. "Dempsey is getting quite fond of you and little Liam."

"Good . . ." he smiled "I'm fond of the both of you too."

Carla smiled "are you this friendly with all of your employees?"

Liam shook his head and whispered "you're special, Carla"

Carla raised her eyebrow a little, a small smile playing on her lips. "Really?"

Liam nodded and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose and Carla smiled. "You can be quite cute"

"Thanks, I think"

"It was compliment . . ."

Liam smiled "in that case thanks for the compliment." He hesitated for a moment before turning to Carla to speak to her once more albeit a little unsure of how she would react to his suggestion. "I was thinking . . ."

"Is that not a bit dangerous?"

He smirked "oh very funny . . . No, I was thinking maybe we could go to the beach one day with Dempsey and Liam, they seemed to enjoy the pool when we took them . . ."

"I think that's a lovely idea"

"So next weekend maybe?"

"Won't Maria have something to say about us spending the day together?" She raised her eyebrow a little.

"Forget about Maria, if she has something to say about it I'll talk to her."

"I'm surprised she's not here."

"I told you she was away . . ."

"I know . . . Does she know about this?"

Liam laughed "yes" he nodded "but she chose to spend the weekend with her mum rather than attend."

"Well, she doesn't know what she's missing."

Liam smiled and gave Carla a gentle squeeze, sitting in a comfortable silence with only the music playing softly in the background. Given how long they had known each other Liam knew that it probably should have been much more awkward between them, but it wasn't. It felt like they had known each other for so much longer and in that moment Liam found himself questioning his marriage. But stopped the thoughts quickly when it became apparent which path they were heading down. The music playing in the background went to the next song on the CD and it was then Carla next spoke. "Oh, I love this song, dance with me?"

Liam's expression must have given away how uneasy he was about the request and before he could answer she pouted like he often did. "Oh come on, don't be shy . . ." she smiled, her voice taking on a teasing undertone as she spoke to him.

"Oh how can I say no to you?" he grinned.

Carla smiled and got up from the couch, now considerably shorter in height as she had no shoes on. Standing opposite Liam, Carla looped her arms around his neck gently and he placed a hand either side of her hips as they moved in time to the music. As the song progressed the two of them gradually got closer and Carla pleased her head against his shoulder gently. "I don't know what you were worried for, you have some moves there . . ."

Liam smirked "oh is that so? I always thought I had two left feet . . ."

"That must have proven very difficult when you went to buy shoes . . ."

"Oh so you think you're a comedienne now?" he raised his eyebrow and Carla laughed, moving back a little, though remaining close enough so that their noses were almost touching. Liam found himself smiling back at her, but within seconds the atmosphere in the room had changed and Carla raised her hands to push his hair back gently. Liam dipped his head a little and hesitated for a moment before letting his lips brush Carla's. She gasped, then pressed her lips a little more firmly against his, taking a small step closer to him, further into his embrace. "Are you sure about this?" Liam whispered.

Carla nodded "I want this . . . I want you . . ."

Liam stepped back a little and then held his hand out to Carla for her to hold. "Let's go to bed . . ."


	11. Chapter 11

_Thank you all so much for the feedback you left on that last chapter, it means a lot. This took me a little longer to get up, I've thought of the first chapter for another fic, which has been distracting me. I hope you enjoy this. :-)_

The following morning, Carla swallowed upon waking, her throat was like sandpaper and she desperately needed something to drink. The sun was shining in through the curtains and casting its warm glow over where she was laid in the bed. It was at that moment the events of the previous night came back to her and she sat up sharply with a gasp. She had spent the night with Liam. Carla turned to the side and found herself thankful that he hadn't yet woken up. She needed to get out of there and she needed to get out of there fast, it was with that thought in mind that she swung her legs around to the side of the bed and carefully got out, using as little movement as possible so that there was only a minimal chance of her disturbing him. After collecting her underwear from the side of the bed Carla put it on and then pulled her dress on, having a little fight with herself as she tried to zip it up at the back, unable to stop herself from remembering the previous night and how easily Liam had un done it.

Once she had her dress on, Carla turned and bit down on her bottom lip to stop it trembling. She wanted to run her hands. Over Liam's hair but she knew that she couldn't, he was married, he was someone else's and she knew what had happened the previous night had been a big mistake. She left the room silently and crept down the corridor and into the room Dempsey was staying in. Carla picked up the shoes and the clip that she'd left in there the night before and lifted Dempsey so that she was laid in her arms undisturbed. Carla knew that if she woke it would be much harder to get out of the house without anyone knowing and she wasn't sure she could deal with any questions. After getting downstairs Carla slipped her shoes on and picked up her bag before wrapping her cardigan around Dempsey. She left Liam's house and after walking out of the grounds and a little way down the road she was thankful when a taxi drove towards her, which she stopped and used to get a lift back to her house.

When the taxi came to a stop outside of the house Carla frowned when two well-built men stepped out of it and put four bin bags onto the floor before locking the door. She got out of the taxi quickly and shook her head a little in sheer panic at what was going on.

"What are you doing, that's my house."

"Not anymore it's not love."

"What do you mean? You can't just throw me out I've got nowhere to go."

"Not our problem love. The land lord wants you out."

Carla gritted her teeth to try desperately to keep her emotions under control though she struggled. "You can't do this, you're supposed to give me a month's notice. Where am I going to go?" she snapped, running her free and over her hair getting more and more angry as each moment passed. Carla knew that if Dempsey hadn't have been there she would have wiped the smug smirks from both of their expressions. "I have a little girl I can't just stay out on the street . . ."

"Not our problem love." the bigger of the two men stated before walking past Carla, nudging her with his shoulder as he went, which caused Dempsey to wake. Carla stepped to one side to avoid losing her balance, now seething but when Dempsey whimpered it immediately turned to concern.

"Hey baby shhhh," Carla soothed, desperate to try to hide how bad things were to her daughter.

"I go bed? I tired . . ." Dempsey mumbled and Carla nodded, despite not knowing where "bed" would be that night.

"I think we're going to go on a little adventure sweetheart."

"No bed?"

"Soon baby, I promise . . ."

Dempsey nodded and curled back up in Carla's arms looping her arm around her neck for a cuddle, refusing to let go. The taxi driver that had dropped Carla off at her house walked up to the side of her and she frowned, though what he wanted soon became apparent. "You haven't paid me love . . ."

"Oh, I'm sorry" Carla mumbled and used one of her arms to hold Dempsey and the other to get some money out. She passed over a £10 note "is that enough?"

He nodded "yeah, more than. Can I take you anywhere else?"

"Do you know where any b&b's are?"

The guy nodded and smiled at her sadly "yeah get back in and I'll drive you around to find out if there are any vacancies."

"Thank you . . ." Carla whispered, feeling as though she might weep at how nice he was being.

She got back into the car with Dempsey who had settled once more and as she put the seatbelt over them she could only hope that she had found somewhere before she woke up once more. Carla checked her purse and was glad to find that she had some money in it, she had no idea what she was going to do on a long-term basis but she just hoped that if she could get herself sorted for that night she would be able to give it some more thought.

When Liam stirred he reached out to find Carla but all he was met with was a cold, empty space. He sat up and sighed when it dawned on him that she had gone. Of course he wished that she hadn't and he couldn't help feeling that he should have been prepared for that, silently he wondered what she was thinking about what had happened between the two of them and despite knowing that he should regret what had happened, he didn't.

Liam flopped back down into the bed and sighed, he wasn't sure what he was going to do from that point in regards to Maria or Carla but it was only seconds before he decided that he wanted to try to speak to Carla and find out what she was thinking. He moved his legs around to the side of the bed and pulled on a pair of boxers before descending the stairs. He picked up his phone from the side and dialed Carla's number, walking into the kitchen to get himself a glass of orange juice as it rang. When it went to voicemail he let out an angry sigh. _I don't want to talk to a stupid automatic machine_, he thought, _I want to talk to her_.

Liam leaned against the kitchen counter, his back against the cool marble wasn't the most comfortable of positions but he didn't case, he needed to talk to Carla and he worried that she wasn't answering her phone. When April walked into the kitchen he managed a small smile and was thankful when she put it down to him being tired or hung-over, or a mixture of both.

"Can I make you a full English Liam?" she questioned softly, "will Carla be wanting her breakfast do you know?"

Liam nodded at her first question, feeling his heart speed up at just the mention of her name. "Carla's gone April, she urr . . . She had a couple of things that she needed to do."

"Did she have fun?"

"I think so" he nodded, and then am his way into the living room, putting a stop to the conversation before it went to far.

Carla was standing in the middle of a small room she had booked to spend the night in with Dempsey. After getting some money from the cash point she had gone to one of the hotels that the guy who was driving the taxi had told her about and she was thankful that they had a room left. There was a double bed with a small TV opposite it and a bathroom. The room was very basic but at that moment in time it was all Carla could afford. Dempsey stirred and when she wriggled Carla put her down to let her stand, the bags of their things were in the corner of the room and she ran over to them. "No leave them baby."

"Why they like dis?"

"We're moving sweetheart . . ."

"Again?"

Carla nodded.

"No, me want my bed"

"We have a bed here . . ."

Dempsey shook her head and when her bottom lip started to wobble Carla thought that everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks was just going to become too much and make her crumble. "No . . . My bed, I no stay here."

"Stay here with me, only for one night?"

Dempsey began to cry and shook her head, stamping her foot as she curled her hands into little fists and shouted at Carla. "no mama, no want to stay here."

Carla sighed quietly and swallowed hard, shaking her head a little before speaking up as she took a step closer to Dempsey and leaned down to pick her up. "Don't get upset baby, just one day alright? I know you're tired but how about we have a bath and then curl up in bed and you can put your cartoons on?" she whispered, kissing the side of her head gently.

Dempsey whispered quietly and sniffed before nodding at what Carla had said. Carla kissed her once more before she walked through into the bathroom, bathing Dempsey before getting washed herself and once they had both changed into a pair of pajama's Carla curled up in bed with her daughter and put on the cartoons as she had promised. She knew that everything which had happened over the past couple of weeks would have been a lot for Dempsey to take in, though she hadn't understood just how much she had been effected until her earlier outburst. She only hoped that the following day she would be able to find somewhere more permanent for them to stay and hoped that by doing so would allow Dempsey to get settled more than she was. Of course she wished she could provide for her properly without having to scrimp and save just to put some food on the table. But, given how she had left their other life she had known that was how it was going to be and as bad as it was, she knew it was either that, or just wait for the day that things went too far and she ended up in hospital, or worse.

Frank sat in his home that was located in the outskirts of Liverpool; it was luxurious and spacious, just how he liked it. It was moments after Frank had call up one of the men that worked for him that there was a knock on the door of the expensive house. The man that Frank had called to help him out was Rik, he was solidly built with large shoulders, and he was over six foot and had a shaved head. Frank often used him for collecting debts that people owed him and needless to say he usually got the money Frank wanted. Rik was always there when Frank needed someone and he was the person that he had employed the longest. It was due to working with each other for so long that they had become friends. Rik had been asked on more than one occasion to go and work with other people, he was notorious for how quickly and efficiently he got a job done, regardless of what it was as long as the price was right he would go it. However, Frank paid him too well for him to even think about working for someone else.

Frank sat down in the chair that he used if he was in the living room and Rik sat down on the sofa, leaning forwards a little with his elbows rested on his thighs. Both men had a glass of Whiskey and after having swig from the glass Rik was the first person to speak and break the silence that had descended in the room. "So, what's this bit of business that you want me to deal with, Frank?"

"To the point, as ever . . ."

Rik didn't answer; he knew the statement didn't require one.

"Well as you know my so called wife has done a runner with my kid, I thought she would have been back by now but she isn't, so I want her found and I want her found quickly. I think Carla and I need to have words, don't you?" he smirked.

Rik nodded "silly girl"

"Indeed. I think she needs to be reminded of her wedding vows. In particular the "until death do us part" one."

Rik nodded "course. Do you have any clues as to where she might be?"

Frank shook his head "do you think I'd be here if I did? She has disappeared."

"Not for long." Rik smirked

Frank nodded, his smirk matching Rik's. He finished his drink and sat back in the chair, enjoying the knowledge that Carla should be back with him soon.


	12. Chapter 12

_Thank you all so much for the lovely feedback you gave my last chapter. I chose to have Frank in this rather than Tony as I always had a kind of soft spot for him, even though he tried to kill Carla. Needless to say that wasn't the case with Frank so I thought I'd use him, I'm pleased you think it's working at the moment. :-) I really hope that you don't find this chapter boring, it's really the same chapter as the next one, but it was far too long to post as one chapter if that makes sense? So, I've had to split them in two. I hope you enjoy. :-)_

The following morning Carla dropped Dempsey off at nursery after checking out of the hotel. After getting herself an appointment to find out what places were up for rent she went into the coffee shop she had been to previously with Liam and sat down in the corner with a drink, the bags of her and her daughter's belonging's that she was carrying were under the table. Carla had taken Dempsey to nursery later than normal to avoid Liam and it seemed that it had worked, she wasn't sure she could deal with him on top of everything else that was going on but when he walked through into the shop it didn't seem that she would have much choice. Carla knew that she couldn't get out without having to walk past him. She had a large mouthful of coffee when he walked over to her table with his, though she couldn't help but wish that she were drinking something stronger.

Liam put his coffee down on the table and sat opposite Carla, he was also worried about the situation and he was unsure of how long that he could go without talking to her in general and about what had happened. He decided against asking if she minded that he had joined her, given that it would just give Carla an excuse to walk away from what they needed to talk about and at that moment in time he guessed she would use any excuse she could get. When Carla made no effort to speak, Liam decided that he should.

"You were late taking Dempsey to nursery?"

Carla nodded "yeah, my alarm didn't go off . . ." she lied.

"Is this about what happened . . . The other night?"

Carla scoffed, though her voice came out much harsher than intended. "Oh don't flatter yourself . . ."

Liam sat back in his chair before raising his cup to have a drink of coffee, his shoulders were slumped a little and Carla felt a sharp pang of guilt.

"I didn't mean that . . ." she mumbled and Liam nodded in understanding.

"I know, this is . . . Difficult . . ."

"That's an understatement if ever there was one . . ."

Liam let a small smile tug at the corners of his lips and it was seconds before Carla's expression matched his.

"So if it's not about that, what is it about?"

"That?" Carla raised her eyebrow.

Liam smirked "stop changing the subject . . . What's going on?"

Carla sighed and shook her head a little; she didn't want to acknowledge what had happened even though she knew that she needed to. "Me and Dempsey . . . We've been kicked out of the house . . ."

Liam frowned and leant forward so that his arms were on the table, his brow creasing in concern. "What do you mean? I thought you had to be given notice before you were evicted?"

"Oh like they care about that"

"Where did you go last night?"

"We stayed in a B&B"

Liam sighed and shook his head "why didn't you call me?"

"I just . . ."

Before Carla could answer Liam interrupted "don't even answer that I know why . . ."

Carla bit down on her bottom lip and hesitated for a moment before speaking again, though this time her voice was considerably quieter than it had been. "I know this is a bit rich but do I still have a job?"

Liam tilted his head to one side a little before answering her "of course you do, did you really have to ask and as for finding somewhere to live, don't worry about any of it . . ."

Carla frowned "that might be a little easier said than done . . ."

Liam shook his head a little with a smile "no, you're coming to stay with me."

"I don't think that's a good idea, do you?"

"It's not up for discussion."

"I'm sure your wife might want to discuss it."

"She's not back until tomorrow, just leave her to me."

"I don't know whether it's such a good idea . . ."

"Where else are you going to go?"

Carla shrugged before letting a defeated sigh pass her lips.

"Is that you backing down and finally getting that I am right once again . . ."

Carla laughed "I think if I answer that you're ego might explode it's so big."

Liam smiled. "Come on, let's get your things to take back to mine, yeah?"

"Shall we finish our coffee's first?"

He nodded and smiled before raising the cup to his lips. Carla did the same; to hide the smile that was still upon her expression and on doing so had a drink in sync with Liam.

On getting back to the house Liam had taken Carla up to the bedroom that Dempsey had used when they had stayed after the party. He had carried her bags up to the room and set them down upon getting inside, though had refused to let Carla unpack them as she had offered, insisting that April would do it for her. Liam had also offered to give Dempsey a room of her own but Carla had told him that there wasn't any need and that he was being more than helpful to them by giving them one to share. The size of the room was far too big for two people as it was in Carla's opinion, though she guessed Liam was used to the grand house.

After she had been upstairs with Liam, Carla now found herself in the kitchen with him, sitting at the large table opposite him with yet another cup of coffee in front of her. She wasn't sure why but she began to feel a little awkward at now being alone with him after April had gone up the stairs once they had come down. Of course she had been alone with Liam in the coffee shop, but there had been other people around so she had known that particular topics of conversation were off limits, whereas at that moment in time, they weren't. Liam spoke up as Carla thought he would and as he did it became apparent to her that the conversation was about to be what she hadn't wanted it to, and that was due to her being terrified that he wouldn't say what she wanted him to.

"So, about the other night . . ."

Carla had a slurp of her coffee to distract herself from his comment, though it was pointless, it was all she could think about. "What about it?"

"I just thought we could talk about it while we're on our own, before the kids get back . . ."

"Oh . . . Right . . ."

"That bad was it?"

Carla shook her head "no, it was good . . . I mean . . ." she hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I don't think I am going to be able to say anything without it sounding . . . Suggestive."

Liam laughed quietly and then answered "I know but I don't think ignoring it is going to do either of us any good is it?"

"I'm not sure acknowledging it will either . . ." Carla mumbled.

"How do you feel about it?"

Carla swallowed hard, her fear was that Liam would let her know just how big a mistake what had happened was though she felt quite the opposite. The worry of him doing that was one thing but she wasn't sure that she could deal with him finding the words to say it, so, she got in their first. He was married after all and she couldn't imagine him suddenly wanting to turn their relationship into something more after one night, when he had been with Maria for a number of years. "I know what you're going to say . . . It was a mistake."

"Was I?"

"Liam, you're married."

Liam swallowed, yes he was married but after what had happened with Carla he knew that he didn't love Maria or want to be with her. He guessed that deep down he had known it for a little while but had got on with things for his son, but now Carla was around the way he felt about the situation was different, so much different. He wanted to tell her that he wanted to be with her and that he would walk away from his marriage, and even though he didn't think Carla meant what she had said it was enough to make him bottle out of confessing his true feelings to her. "I know . . ." he paused, unsure of what he was supposed to say. One thing he was worried about was upsetting Carla, not being with her how he wanted to be was one thing but losing her friendship altogether was another. "I just didn't want there to be any hard feeling's, you know . . . If Maria comes back and you're standing here . . ."

Carla nodded, having another sip of her coffee as her heart sank at his words, "don't worry, I'm not going to jump you."

Liam would have laughed if the situation he now found himself in wasn't so far from what he really wanted to be happening. "Are you still comfortable staying here?"

Carla frowned "what do you mean?"

"Well . . . After this?"

Carla sighed quietly "well I guess we had to talk about it sooner or later . . ."

"Yeah, yeah I guess we did . . ."

Carla forced a small smile before finishing what was left of her coffee. She then placed the cup down gently on the table and spoke to Liam once more. "I think it's time we went to pick up the babies . . ."

Liam nodded in agreement "yeah, yeah I think it is."

Carla got up and picked up her coat, she knew that if she had been alone in her room then she wouldn't have done so well at keeping her emotions under control, but she knew that breaking down in front of Liam wouldn't help the situation in the slightest. As Liam walked around the table he reached out and wrapped his arm around Carla's shoulders. She smiled, and decided in that moment that even though they might not be able to be together how she wanted, she would rather have him in her life as her friend rather than not at all. Liam squeezed her to him gently and Carla spoke up as they stepped out of the house. "Oh, I think I better let you know . . . I promised Dempsey she could make cakes today . . ."

Liam smiled "well who am I to make you break your promise," Carla smiled and then laughed when Liam next spoke. "But, on a scale of one to ten, how messy will she be?"

" Erm, probably about fifteen . . ."

Liam raised his eyebrow a little

"I'm not even exaggerating . . ."

"So I might have to out my hand in my pocket to pay April for a bit of over-time?"

Carla smirked and nodded, causing Liam to laugh.

On getting into the car, Dom didn't ask where they were going, as he knew. Carla got in one side and Liam got to the other, they both sat down and put their seat belts on before turning to share a small smile. As they settled into the back of the car, Carla felt her knee touch Liam's and neither of them made an effort to move.


	13. Chapter 13

On getting back to the house after picking Dempsey and little Liam up, Liam had decided that him and his son would join Carla and Dempsey in baking. They were now in the kitchen where Carla was mixing the cake mix after Liam had tried and failed, only proceeding to spray it all over. "You know, I think you've made more mess than the kids"

"I think you're talking rubbish"

Carla laughed and shook her head a little "do you think you could manage to melt some chocolate?"

"I can work a microwave"

"So that'd be a no then. Don't use the microwave it ruins it, I've tried and tested it. Use hot water"

"Yes boss" he smirked and mock saluted before went into the cupboard to get out two bowls, one smaller than the other.

Dempsey ran across the kitchen and into the back of Liam's legs at the mere mention of chocolate, "I help you Liam?"

"Course you can sweetheart" he smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist to lift her, sitting her on the kitchen top. "We have to be careful though, so we don't burn ourselves."

Dempsey nodded "where chocolate?" she shrugged, throwing her little arms up as she spoke. "It gone?"

Liam chuckled and shook his head. "No it's in the fridge, I'll get it in a minute darlin'"

Dempsey nodded once "darlin'"

Carla laughed quietly from where she was standing and couldn't help but find how Liam acted around Dempsey adorable. Oh she had it bad, and she knew it. She turned around and was about to say something over in their direction when little Liam wandered back into the kitchen and she smiled, holding one hand out to him which he toddled over to take. "Do you want to help?"

He nodded and Carla smiled, lifting him up onto the work surface as Liam had done only moments before with Dempsey. After putting down the whisk that she had been mixing with, Carla dipped her finger into the bowl before holding it out to Liam. "Here, taste"

He hesitated for a moment before leaning forward and tasting the cake mix Carla had offered to him. "mmmm"

Carla smiled "nice?"

Liam nodded "tasty"

"Did I do a good job?"

"Yeah" he grinned, "I have some more?"

Carla nodded and allowed him to dip his finger in the bowl, doing the same herself.

When Dempsey shouted over to them, Carla couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, "mama, stop eating all that"

"It's very tasty"

"No mama you stop or I shout at you."

"Yeah mama . . ." Liam smirked

Carla raised her eyebrow a little "but out you."

Liam laughed and after getting the chocolate he let Dempsey help him break it up and put it into a bowl that was sitting in the hot water he had filled the bigger bowl with so that it would melt. Carla was helping Liam with spooning the cake mix into cases, holding her hand over his as they put it in. "Do they take a long time?"

Carla shook her head "no, not too long sweetheart. Are you going to decorate one for your daddy?"

Liam nodded "yeah, I decorate one for you?"

Carla smiled and nodded "yeah if you want to"

Liam grinned before returning to spooning the mix from the bowl into the cases with her.

Once Carla had put the cake mix into the oven she laughed at Dempsey who was covered in a mixture of flour and chocolate. "I think someone needs a bath"

"No, we do cakes"

"They need to cook and then cool down baby, have a bath while they do that, yeah?"

Dempsey nodded and held her arms out to Carla who picked her up and held her on her hip. "I'll just go and put her in the bath while they cook Liam."

He nodded "I think I'm going to do the same with Liam . . ."

Carla smiled and turned to walk out of the kitchen when Liam placed his hand on her arm. "The button at the side of the bath . . . Press it when she's in there . . ."

Carla frowned "why?"

"Just trust me . . ."

"She might soak the place"

Liam laughed "it's fine, you'd think a couple of swimmers had been in the bathroom when he's been in." Liam gestured to his son with a nod.

Carla smiled "thanks again, Liam . . ."

"I've told you that you don't need to thank me . . ."

Carla gave a small smile and after a moment she turned around and went upstairs into the room that she was staying in with Dempsey. She filled the bath with warm water and sat down at the side of it. One she had undressed Dempsey she lifted her into the water. "Big bath mama"

"I know, do you like it?"

Dempsey nodded and sat down in the bath "we stay with Liam now?"

"For a little while"

"Is Liam my daddy now?"

Carla gave a sad smile and shook her head, running her hand over Dempsey's hair gently "no sweetheart, Liam is just our friend."

"But I like him more than daddy" Dempsey pouted.

Carla nodded "me too baby, me too." Carla pushed her hair back gently and sighed, running her tongue over her teeth as she tried to rid all thoughts of Frank from her mind. She knew that if she could have she would have wiped away Dempsey's memories of him too. "Here should we try this?" Carla questioned in the hope of changing the subject of conversation, gesturing to the button that was at the side of the bath.

"What does it do?"

"I don't know . . ."

"I press it?"

"Yeah go on then"

Dempsey stepped through the water and over to where the white button was, hesitating for a moment before she pressed it. After she had, a low rumbling noise came from the bath which made her panic and turn to go straight back to Carla. "I no like it mama, get out"

Carla lifted her so that she was sitting on the edge of the bath with her back against her chest. "Wait a minute baby, keep your legs in" Dempsey held onto Carla's arm that was around her waist as though her life depended in it, but when the bath began to bubble from the jets that were in it and noise subsided, Dempsey frowned and Carla smiled. It then became apparent that Liam had suggested she try out the jacuzzi/whirlpool option in the bath for Dempsey.

"Makes bubbles"

"Yeah, do you want to get back in?"

Carla hesitated for a moment before nodding "I touch them"

Carla smiled and nodded as Dempsey moved to get back into the bath, putting her hands out to place over one of the jets, giggling as it bubbled the water under her hands. "I love dis bath mama, we get one?"

"If we with the lottery"

"Deal" Dempsey grinned, and Carla couldn't help laughing at her daughter's lack of understanding in regards to what she had said.

Twenty minutes later and Dempsey was still playing in the bath after having her hair washed. Carla was soaking wet from sitting by her daughter as she played, her excitement over the bath still not having subsided. Carla leaned over to take a towel from the heated rail and held it out to Dempsey who pouted and shook her head. "No mama, not yet . . ."

"Yes Dempsey, now"

"5 more minutes?"

"We said that ten minutes ago."

"Pretty please"

"If you get out now, I might let you get in again tomorrow . . ."

Dempsey hesitated for a moment, considering Carla's offer before she walked to the side of the bath before Carla wrapped her in the towel and picked her up.

"It's warm an' toasty"

Carla laughed, "Is it?"

Dempsey nodded and wrapped her arms around Carla's neck as she carried her into the bedroom. After drying her off she changed her into a little lemon colored onesie and dried her hair as she sat on her lap. After doing so, she turned around with Dempsey and carried her downstairs. When she stepped into the kitchen Liam laughed. "Did you get a bath with your clothes on?"

"Oh you're funny"

"So she liked the bath then"

"Once the noise had stopped yeah, she'd have been in that all night if I'd have let her."

Liam smiled "why don't you go get a bath while I decorate the cakes with these two?"

"You don't mind?"

Liam shook his head "no go on" he held his hands out to take Dempsey, and Carla ruffled her hair gently. "Try to keep her as clean as you can."

Liam smiled and nodded as Carla turned around and wandered out of the kitchen, going upstairs to get a bath herself. She filled the bath with water and turned it onto a higher setting than it had been on when Dempsey was in the bath so the bubbles came out faster. She undressed and stepped in before lying down, a relaxed sigh rolling from her lips as she tried to remember the last time that she felt as she did at that moment in time. Carla knew that there was still a lot she needed to sort out but now that herself and Dempsey had somewhere to stay and she had a job, she hoped that it would be easier to sort out than she had thought it would be the previous day. She wished that things were different with Liam but she knew that he was married and that she had been the one who had first deemed what had happened a mistake, so could hardly blame him for his reaction. However she hadn't meant what she had said in the slightest and little things that had happened between them since their talk had made her suspect that he felt the same as she did about what had been said, though she was trying not to get her hopes up in fear of being wrong.

In the kitchen, Liam had put a little apron on little Liam and Dempsey and had given them some cakes to decorate. There was bowls of chocolate, smarties, marshmallows, hundreds and thousands and Haribo sweets for them to use. Liam walked over to where little Liam was standing and smiled as he picked up a Haribo sweet to place onto the melted chocolate. "Are you having fun son?"

Liam nodded "I like Carla"

"So do I"

"Dempsey too?"

Liam smiled and nodded "are you going to make me one?"

Little Liam nodded "yeah, make Carla one too?"

Liam nodded with a smile before he turned around and walked over to where Dempsey was standing. "Hello little Miss . . ."

"'Ello Liam, I like your baff"

Liam smiled "did you have fun?"

Dempsey nodded "my mama likes you"

"I like your mama too"

"She said you not my daddy but I like you more"

"I like you too" Liam smiled, a little unsure of what to say in response to Dempsey's first comment.

"Don't like my daddy"

Liam wasn't sure whether he had done the right thing in asking Dempsey more, but he found the question was out of his mouth before he had the chance to stop it. "Why not?"

"He hits mama, like dis?" Dempsey flung her arm out to imitate a punch, her hand curled into a little fist.

Liam paled, hesitating before he answered this time, "well it's just you and your mummy now isn't it?"

"You and Liam too?"

Liam smiled and nodded and decided to change the subject, gesturing to the cake Dempsey had placed in front of her. "Who is this for?"

"Mama"

Carla had got out of the bath after a nice soak and had put on a pink nighty, deciding to just leave her hair damp. On getting to the kitchen she had been outside of the door when Dempsey had spoken her name and it caused her to pause before she stepped inside.

Liam smiled "what are you going to put on it?"

Dempsey shrugged "I no know"

"A heart?" Liam suggested.

"Heart?"

He nodded "a heart means love"

"We love mama?"

Liam smiled and nodded "yeah, yeah we do . . ." He leaned over and began helping Dempsey create the shape of a heart on the top of the cake.

Outside of the door Carla felt her heart flutter when Liam spoke and she knew immediately that she felt the same way, though she doubted whether she would have the guts to tell him. She waited for a moment and tried to get her heart rate to return to normal before she opened the door and stepped through into the kitchen, pretending that she had come straight down from the bath. "Hey, are you having fun?"

Dempsey nodded "I make you dis mama" she turned around and handed her the cake which caused Carla to smile.

"Thank you" she took it from her gently and had a bite "mmmm, it's lovely . . ."

Dempsey picked one up and began eating it as Liam passed his dad one and then picked up one for himself.

After eating the cakes, Carla made Dempsey brush her teeth before lying with her as she settled in bed with a bottle of warm milk. Carla picked up the bottle when she was sure Dempsey wouldn't be disturbed if she moved and turned around to leave the room, flicking on the night light as she left. She descended the stairs and smiled as she walked into the kitchen to find Liam, holding out a glass of wine to her. "Oh, thank you. Both kids down by seven, I think that's quite and achievement." Carla smiled, having a sip of the drink before following Liam into the living room.

Liam sat downing the couch and gestured for Carla to do the same, nodding in agreement at what she had said. "I know, I think they had fun though"

"Me too, we made far too many cakes though"

Liam laughed, "oh I'm sure they'll get eaten . . ." he smiled and paused for a moment before speaking up again, though this time his voice was a little more serious than it previously had been. "If I ask you something do you promise not to go mad?"

Carla frowned "why would I?"

"Just . . . Do it . . ."

Carla hesitated for a moment before nodding, "alright . . ."

"Who's Dempsey's dad?"

Carla swallowed hard, "why?"

"I'm just asking . . ."

"No you're not, if you were just asking you would have done long before now."

"Did he hit you?" The question was out before Liam had even had chance to process it fully and when Carla paled considerably he had his answer without her having to say anything.

Carla shook her head a little before getting up, "I'm going to bed . . ." she mumbled and placed her glass on the side before heading towards the door, though was stopped when Liam's hand held her arm gently.

"Please don't walk away from me . . ."

"I can't do this . . ."

"Hey, hey . . ." Liam turned Carla around and ran the back of his hand down her cheek gently. "I care about you so much and I want to help you but I can't if I don't know what's gone on . . ." he whispered.

"I've never told anyone . . ."

"If you're worried I'll tell someone . . ." he shook his head, finishing his sentence with the gesture.

Carla shook her head a little to let him know that he didn't think he would without having to say anything, and after a small pause she spoke up once more, this time about what it was that was worrying her. "I don't know where to start . . ."

"Just start at the beginning . . ."

"It's a long story . . ." Carla whispered, the haunted expression she wore causing Liam to feel sick to the stomach.

"If you're hoping that's going to put me off, you're wrong . . ."

Liam dropped his hand from Carla's cheek and reached down to take her hand, picking up her drink with his other as he led her gently back to the couch. Carla sat down and Liam passed her back her glass of wine before sitting back down beside her again, placing his hand over her's, giving it a gentle squeeze as he waited for her to speak.


	14. Chapter 14

Carla swallowed hard, not only did she not know where to start in telling Liam what had happened to her, she felt sick at the thought of unleashing the secrets of her marriage to someone else. Carla shifted on the couch though she had no reason to be uncomfortable and the wine in the glass that she was holding made her stomach churn at the mere thought of swallowing it. She swallowed hard and was grateful when Liam didn't speak or push her to. She wasn't sure she would have ever been ready to tell anyone what had happened but she trusted Liam with her life and what he had said to her kept coming to the front of her mind.

_"I want to help you but I can't if I don't know what's gone on . . ."_

She wanted him to be able to help her, he had done so much for her already and she hoped that if he could help with this she might be able to try and live with it. Carla knew that she could never forget about what had happened but carrying the secret on her own was something that was getting harder and harder by the day. _"Just start from the beginning . . ."_ Carla thought, mentally repeating what Liam had said to her, to herself. When she felt Liam give her hand another squeeze it was almost like he was telling her that he wasn't going anywhere without him having to say anything and the comfort of his thumb stroking over the skin on the back of her hand helped her to begin re-telling the painful and harrowing story that was her life.

"I lived with my mum on a council estate in Liverpool, we moved there when I was four and my brother was two. My brother had just been sent to prison for armed robbery and my dad had been gone for ages. He was an alcoholic. My brother got involved in a robbery to try to get some money to pay off my mum's debts to drug dealers. She used to deal around the estate and she owed them around £5, 000."

Liam frowned, "isn't drug dealing supposed to make you money?"

"You would think so, but she was using some of what she was supposed to be selling so she wasn't making enough on the amount of drugs that she was getting. So she ended up owing them money and she couldn't pay it back. She was selling it for the big boys, and by big boys I mean ones who thought they were some kind of American gangster when none of them had made it out of Liverpool." she laughed bitterly and shook her head a little as she leant back into the couch gently. "So when Rob went to prison I had just left school and I was in and out of different jobs like office work and in shops and stuff to try and keep the house going and put food on the table." Carla chewed on her bottom lip a little and swallowed, deliberately putting of getting to the point of her life that she knew Liam was waiting for her to tell him about. "Then when I was seventeen, I was working in a shop that was paying peanuts when a job came up in a bar that was opening. It was a half an hour journey away from where I lived and the money was really good. It was a swanky exclusive-ish place and so I went for it, and I got the job. But, I lied to them and told them that I was eighteen when I wasn't for another six months. I worried about it at first but I just told them I'd never worked in a bar before and I was shown what to do."

"Did they ever find out?" Liam asked.

"I'm getting to it . . ." Carla whispered, swallowing a mouthful of wine before she continued, deciding that she needed whatever courage she could get to continue what she had started. "I had been there about four months and over time the woman who was the manager of the bar was being a cow to me and we ended up fighting this one night, she said something about me that I didn't appreciate so I lamped her." Liam smirked and Carla kinked her eyebrow a little. "It was a good shot . . ."

Liam laughed quietly "I don't doubt it . . ." he smiled, his thumb still stroking the back of her hand.

"So we had this fight and the night it happened the guy that owned the club was in and the guy that owned it is Dempsey's dad." Carla sighed, paling considerably at the mere mention of him. "So anyway, we got a bollocking and all the rest of it but after she'd gone he told me he knew I wasn't old enough to be working in a club and I persuaded him to let me carry on working there. I don't know how he knew but I told him two more months wasn't a lot after working there for four and he agreed. I had a drink with him and then went to finish my shift. Then after that he would invite me to stay back for a drink with him, he paid for my cabs to and from work so that I didn't have to wait around for busses, he'd send me gifts and I thought he was a nice guy. I was flattered, a businessman who was doing well for himself interested in me . . . The only people that had been interested before then were old druggies my mum used to have in the house while she was getting high." Carla sighed and shrugged gently.

Liam silently wondered how Carla could speak of what had happened so plainly, for a moment he wondered whether she understood how horrifying it really was and whether she thought otherwise having been brought up with it. However, her expression told him that she probably did but was trying to play it down and it broke his heart. "Does he have a name?" Liam asked, considering trying to find the man who had caused Carla such hurt.

Carla nodded "Frank . . ."

"How old was he?"

"27 then, he's 31 now . . ."

Liam's jaw clenched and Carla knew that he was trying his best to keep his emotions under control. She squeezed his hand this time and he squeezed hers in return. "What happened next sweetheart?"

Carla swallowed hard and pulled her legs up onto the couch before she continued to let him into her deepest and darkest secret. "It was like that for the following couple of months and then for my eighteenth birthday he closed down the club and threw me a party. Invited my mum and everyone that we knew for me to celebrate with and it was a really good night . . . Until my mum passed out after she'd taken . . ." Carla shrugged gently and shook her head. "I don't even know what it was."

"A drug?"

Carla nodded, "yeah, a drug. I think it was cocaine, but I'm not sure . . ."

Liam nodded and Carla continued, "I was upset, so Frank took me and my mum back home and he stayed while I put her to bed. I asked him to stay for a drink, which he did . . . Then he come onto me, and I panicked . . ." Liam frowned and Carla stuttered as she struggled to find the words to say to try and make him understand what she meant. "Liam, I was from an estate on which the girls of eighteen had been with five or six people and had had one if not two kids by them, and I'd never . . . I didn't . . ." She swallowed and sighed, becoming angry with herself as she struggled to find the right words for what she was trying to tell Liam.

Liam sensed that Carla was struggling and he thought that he knew what she was going to say anyway, so he tried to help her out. "You were a Virgin, so you panicked?"

Carla felt herself blush as she nodded in answer to Liam.

"You don't have to be embarrassed about that you know?"

Carla raised her eyebrow a little and Liam wrapped his arm around her, pulling her a little closer to him as he fell silent and waited for her to continue. "I slept with him that night and that was the start of our relationship. A month into the relationship I fell pregnant. At first I was upset but I knew I could have never have gotten rid of the baby, so I told him and it was a week later when I moved in with him and a month after that we were married. He seemed pleased about things but when we went for my scan where you find out the sex of the baby, when he found out it was a girl he seemed to lose interest and it was from that point on that things started to go downhill."

"Downhill?"

Carla swallowed hard and nodded.

"Why did he lose interest?"

"He wanted a boy"

"Did he say that?"

Carla nodded, "not at the scan but in an argument just after I'd had her he did. He had always been . . . Possessive, but things just got worse . . ."

"Possessive?"

Carla nodded, "he told me on more than one occasion that he wouldn't stand for me being with anyone else and that I was his. We went out with his friends quite a lot and he would make comments about what I was wearing or something and embarrass me."

"So he thought of you as something that belonged to him?"

"I guess . . ."

Liam grit his teeth together and tried to suppress the growing anger he felt towards a man that he had never met. He took a deep breath before speaking again, knowing that for him to let his emotions get the better of him was the last thing that Carla needed at that moment in time when she was finding talking to him hard enough. "When did he start hitting you?" he questioned softly, hoping that she wouldn't shut down on him, though grateful that she had told him so much at the same time.

Carla leant forwards a little and rested her arms on her thighs as she answered him, bowing her head a little. "He threw a glass at me two days before I had Dempsey and when I went into labor he left me for two hours before he called at ambulance. But he didn't physically hit me until she was a month old."

"What? What if something had happened while you were in labour, did he not care about that?"

"He was angry at me"

"Why?"

"His friend had visited and I'd met him a couple of times and he seemed nice enough, so he talked to Frank and then talked to me for a little while. So when he was leaving I gave him a hug and he felt my bump when Dempsey was kicking."

"Right . . ."

"What was why . . ."

Liam shook his head a little and sighed, taking in a breath once more as his muscles rippled under the shirt he was wearing as his fists clenched. Though when he turned to Carla his anger quickly turned to sympathy and he sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to give her a gentle squeeze, his hand still holding her own. "Why did you stay with him?"

"Well, he would apologize and the first couple of times I hoped that he meant it and I wanted to think that he did. But, with me doing that it allowed him to carry on. I wanted to make it work for Dempsey more than anything else. That's the deal isn't it? A child gets a mum and a dad, but when it was made plain to me that he wasn't going to change I told him that I was going to leave . . ." She swallowed hard, "I ended up unable to move out of bed for a week, so I didn't try again."

Liam sighed; his emotions were all over the place. He wanted to meet this guy that Carla was talking about and hurt him as he had hurt the woman that he cared much about and though he knew that he couldn't he wanted to wipe away all of the hurt that she had suffered before moving. "So you were with him for three years?"

"Almost four . . ."

Liam sighed, "you don't have anything to feel bad about Carla, it was not your fault what happened."

"When you are told that 24/7 it is you start to think it's true."

"Do you trust me?"

Carla nodded "of course I do."

"I'm telling you that it wasn't." He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently which caused Carla to let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips.

There was a couple of moments of quiet between the two of them before Liam spoke up once again, his voice giving away how unsure he was about what he was about to ask. "So if you didn't tell him that you were leaving, how did you get away?"

"I just went . . ."

"What?"

"I just ran with Dempsey, the night I ran was the worst night with him and I knew if I didn't get out I'd be leaving in a body bag. So, I did what I needed to . . . Which leads me to my confession . . ."

Liam frowned, "confession?"

"My second name isn't Roberts . . . It's Foster . . ."

"Is that your married or maiden name?"

"Married . . . My maiden name is Donovan . . ."

"Can I get a cuddle, Miss Donovan?"

"Always, Mr. Connor . . ." Carla whispered, a small smile on her lips once again at his choice to use her maiden name.

Liam smiled and wrapped his arm around Carla's waist before pulling her onto his lap. He sat back against the couch and Carla sat sideways on him before leaning against his chest gently, she played with one of the buttons on his shirt, her forehead touching the side of his neck. "Did he hit you regularly?" Liam whispered, kissing the side of her head as he waited for her reply.

"When he drank he was worse" she shrugged, "he was always really unpredictable though, I would never know when he was going to but after he started I don't think it ever went longer than two weeks between him kicking off."

Liam sighed and ran his hand over her hair gently, "I'm so sorry . . ."

Carla frowned, "why?"

"For what you've been through"

"It wasn't your fault . . ."

"Well if it has anything to do with me he won't come anywhere near you ever again . . ."

"I hope you're right, I don't know what I'd do if he found me . . ."

"Hey, don't think like that . . ."

"It's hard . . ."

"I know . . ." Liam whispered, and moved his hand under Carla's hair to stroke the skin on the back of her neck while she continued to play with one of the buttons on his shirt, rolling it between her thumb and index finger. It was around ten minutes later when Liam next spoke, and though he was terrified of what her answer would be to his question he knew that he needed to ask. "Carla . . . Did he ever do more than hit you?"

Carla tensed against her will as soon as the question had left Liam's lips, she knew what he was trying to ask without having to say the word and it made her sick. it had been hard enough telling him what she had but talking about _that_ was something different altogether. It was seconds before she made to get up off his lap but his arm around her waist stopped her.

"Carla please don't walk away from me, tell me to shut up and I will but please don't shut me out . . . I would never hurt you baby, you know that. I want to help you, to take care of you . . ."

Carla stopped and wiped the back of her hand over her cheek furiously as a tear dripped down it. "I . . . I . . ."

Liam shook his head and shushed her as he pulled her close once more and held her to him, she hadn't answered his question but her reaction told him everything he needed to know and he had to use all of his power to stop himself from throwing up at the thought of her being forced into . . . That. Her fingers curled tightly around the material of his shirt as she spoke. "How could someone who could do that make that beautiful, perfect little girl up there?" As she finished speaking a sob that had been lodged in the back of her throat escaped and it was then that she was powerless to stop her cries.

"She is your baby Carla, _yours_." Carla held onto him a little more tightly as she continued to cry, now she had started she wasn't sure whether she would ever be able to stop. She cried for what had happened, for the effect it had had on Dempsey, for what hadn't happened with Liam and for what had, and with the sheer terror she felt at the prospect of Frank finding her. Liam's hand held the back of her head and the other made gentle circles against her side as she sobbed. He kissed the side of her head every now and then and silently told himself that he would never let Frank Foster anywhere near Carla again.


	15. Chapter 15

_Thank you so much for the feedback you left on the last couple of chapters. It's lovely of you all. I would also like to thank everyone who has favourited or followed this story, as well as the people who have sent me private messages about it. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. :-)_

The following morning, Carla woke in bed and let a small smile pass her lips as it dawned on her that Liam must have carried her to bed. The last memory that she had of the previous night was sitting on Liam's lap sobbing her heart out after telling him what had happened before she'd ran away from Frank. She guessed that she must've exhausted herself crying and all but passed out on him. However, the smile that had tugged at the corners of her mouth disappeared as she recalled the conversation that she'd had with Liam the night before. She needed to speak to him and she needed to know things weren't any different between them, though she couldn't help the niggling worry that she had that they would be. Carla knew deep down that she loved Liam but she was finding it hard admitting it to herself given their situation. She knew that she loved Liam more than she ever had Frank, and she would have been lying if she'd said the strength of her feelings for him didn't scare her. Carla felt sick at the thought of Liam treating her differently after what she had admitted to him but she knew there was nothing that she could do about it until she spoke to him.

She ran her hand over Dempsey's back gently who had her head nestled into her neck, her arm flung over her chest and her leg over her waist. Carla wanted to laugh at her daughter's starfish like shape but bit it back so that she didn't wake her. She climbed out of bed after peeling Dempsey off her and once she had settled back into the bed Carla walked through into the bathroom. She checked the time and when she found that she was up half an hour before she needed to be, she filled the bath with water and pressed the button on the side of it to set the jets off. Carla then undressed and stepped into the bath, lying down in the warm water as she tried her best to relax.

Carla let a small sigh pass her lips and it seemed that regardless of how hard she tried she couldn't rid herself of the thoughts of what Liam might or might not be thinking after their conversation the previous night. She was still feeling emotional about what had happened and guessed that was due to talking about what she'd been through, and by doing that bringing back a lot of unwanted memories. Carla bent her knees a little and shifted in the bath so she was more comfortable and moments later she turned to find Dempsey climbing into the bath, still in her pajamas. "Whoa, what are you doing baby?" Carla laughed, reaching over to hold Dempsey under her arms as she lifted her into the water. "You crazy child."

"No you crazy mama"

"No, you are" Carla teased, a small smile playing on her lips as she mimicked her daughter.

"We have snuggles?" Dempsey questioned, wrapping her arms around Carla's neck to cuddle her as she stood at her side. "Love you mama"

"I love you too baby"

"We stay in here for a long time?"

"No baby, you have to go to nursery today."

"I no go, I stay here with you?"

"I have to go to work sweetheart . . ."

"I come to work with you . . . I help you?"

Carla smiled "maybe when you're a little older"

Dempsey nodded and stepped over to sit against one of the jets in the bath and giggled, causing Carla to smile. However, when she began washing her hair Dempsey moved over to her once more. "I wash your hair mama"

"If you want to"

Dempsey moved to stand behind Carla who tilted her head back a little. She moved her hands to Carla's hair and began washing it gently as Carla would have done her's and it made her smile. Spending time with Dempsey helped her to forget about what had happened between herself and Liam the previous night though deep down she knew she would only be able to do that for so long.

After washing her hair Carla got both herself and Dempsey out of the bath and dried off before changing into a black shift dress for work. She tied her hair up into a ponytail before putting on some make-up and after doing so she picked up Dempsey who had been bouncing all over the bed. Carla dressed her into a pair of pale pink jeans with a white t-shirt and a pair of cute white shoes while she silently wondered where she got her energy from so early on a morning. She placed a pink bow in her hair and picked her up to hold on her hip. Once she slipped on a pair of stilettos and picked up her bag Carla headed downstairs with her daughter. She swallowed hard before stepping into the kitchen, silently trying to think about what to say to Liam. However, when she stepped through the door and found Maria standing with Liam with her arms draped around his neck, her heart dropped. All of the things she had thought about saying to him fell away and after a lengthy pause, "Oh . . . Hi . . ." was all she could manage.

Maria turned to Liam with a raised eyebrow, "what is _she_ doing here?"

Carla swallowed, a small frown forming over her features, as she wondered why Liam hadn't told Maria that she was staying there. "I'll let you talk . . ." Carla stated and turned to leave, but Liam stopped her when he spoke.

"No, you don't have to leave."

"It's fine . . ."

Carla forced a small smile and threw a cream colored mac on before putting her bag over her shoulder to leave. Liam walked down the hall to her with little Liam and she gave Liam's hair a gentle ruffle. "Hey pal"

"Carla would you take him to nursery for me, I need to talk to Maria . . ."

Carla nodded and smiled at Liam once more before taking his hand, "come on darlin'"

"Dom will take you . . ." Liam told Carla but all he got in response was a nod before Carla got into the car with both kids. She passed Dempsey a biscuit bar that she had grabbed when she'd been in the kitchen and though she knew that she probably should have given her a proper breakfast she knew she couldn't deal with Maria first thing on a morning, especially when she'd had no warning that she was due back. Liam and Dempsey began chatting in their own little language while Carla sat in the back of the car, her mind whirling with thoughts about what would happen from then on and if she would find herself homeless once more.

Liam stood on the doorstep of the huge house that he lived in and all he wanted to do was go and stop the car, pull Carla to one side and check she was all right. However, knowing he couldn't do that was something he was finding so much more difficult that he had expected and found himself wishing Maria had stayed away longer. It was a thought which shocked him and at the same time didn't. He wanted to be with Carla and though he knew it wouldn't be easy he knew that he wanted and needed to do whatever it took to make sure that she ended up with him.

On getting to nursery, Carla had said bye to little Liam and Dempsey and they were halfway down the path to go into nursery when Dempsey came running back to Carla. "I forgot kisses mama"

Carla smiled and nodded, "good job you remembered"

Dempsey tugged on Carla's arm so that she leant down to her before she kissed her. "Bye bye mama"

"Have a good day baby." Carla called, as her daughter ran off into the building.

It got to lunchtime and Carla had decided to spend her's in the office at Underworld. She didn't feel much like socializing and she guessed if Maria had her way she would find herself with nowhere to stay sooner rather than later. She'd gotten herself a sandwich and a coffee before settling at the computer, opening up an Internet page to search for flats for rent in the nearby area. Carla sighed as she scrolled through page after page of flats that were either too expensive or in areas she wouldn't feel remotely comfortable bringing Dempsey up in. She was concentrating so much on what she was doing she hadn't known that Liam had entered the office and was sitting by the office desk on the opposite side to where she was. When Liam spoke, Carla jumped and put her hand to her chest.

"What are you doing?"

"You idiot, you scared me"

Liam laughed quietly "sorry."

"It's not funny." Carla had a sip of coffee before gesturing to the computer, "I'm trying to find somewhere to move to." She mumbled.

"I told you that you didn't have to do anything like that"

"I know, but I don't think Maria will be pleased if she finds out that I am staying much longer."

"I told you I would deal with her too . . ."

"Did you get to talk to her this morning?"

Liam sighed and shook his head, "no, I had a call about a meeting that I couldn't get out of."

"Oh . . ."

"Are Maria's feeling's really why you're moving out?"

Carla gulped, "what other reason would there be?"

Before Liam could answer, Hayley walked through into the office with a cheery smile. "Oh, hello Mr Connor I didn't know you were in today."

Liam smiled "Hello Hayley, just a quick visit"

"Do you need Carla, I was just going to ask if she wanted to come for a drink?" she smiled.

"I need her." Liam stated and Carla's heart fluttered at his words. _I need you too_, she thought.

"Oh, maybe another day then" she smiled "bye Carla, Mr Connor."

"Bye Hayley" Carla called as Liam nodded in acknowledgement to the older lady.

"So . . ."

"So . . . What do you need me for?" Carla raised her eyebrow a little while a small smirk tugged at the corners of her lips.

Liam leaned forward onto the desk a little, "oh wouldn't you like to know."

"That would by why I'm asking . . ."

"Behave yourself" Liam smirked before gesturing to the computer with a nod of his head. "So, have you found anywhere?"

Carla shook her head, "nope"

"Good"

Carla frowned, "well there was once place but it's way out of my price range."

"Show me?"

"You aren't going to go any buy it for me are you?"

Liam smirked and shook his head. "You're never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"What fun would that be?" Carla teased before turning the computer around after getting the window up with the expensive flat that she liked showing. It was only a couple of streets away from where Liam lived and it was newly decorated. There were two bedrooms, a luxury bathroom and kitchen that seemed like they hadn't been in long and included all of the latest gadgets. "I'd love to live somewhere like that but it's too much."

"Well that just means you'll have to stay with me for a little bit longer . . ."

Carla laughed a little and nodded, "yeah I guess it does."

"I've got to go so I'll speak to you at home later?"

"I wanted to talk to you . . . About last night . . ."

Liam nodded, "I know, later."

Carla gave a small smile and nodded, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Liam before he left. Things seemed to be as they had been between the two of them and it was something that she was pleased about, though she still felt the need to talk to him about things. However, she knew that she would have to wait until the time was right and not knowing when that would be wasn't something that sat well with her.

For the rest of the afternoon, Carla continued with her work and when it got to twenty minutes before she needed to set off to pick up Dempsey from nursery, the yellow post-it note stuck to her computer reminded her that she needed to call and order in some more material for the following day. She finished the e-mail that she had been typing out before calling the number that was on the piece of paper that had been left by Hayley, ordering what was needed. Once she had done so she told her that she was leaving, before picking up her bag and her jacket to leave the factory for the day.

When Liam had left that morning he had left Maria seething that he had allowed Carla to move into their house and to add to her anger he had left for a meeting rather than talking to her. She hadn't spoken to Liam throughout the day and she had no idea that he'd been to the office and had spoken to Carla. Maria had already decided that she wanted Carla out as soon as possible and if Liam wasn't going to make her leave then she was. When it got to two o clock she walked out of the house leaving April cleaning, getting into the car with Dom as he drove her to the nursery to pick up Liam. She had only been there waiting for ten minutes when Liam walked out and she smiled, picking him up to greet him while walking back to the car. Carla was stood by the wall as she waited for Dempsey and neither women acknowledged one another. Maria went back to the car and after putting Liam in she got back into it herself. "We're ready Dom . . ."

"Mr. Connor usually waits for Carla, Miss . . ."

"Well I'm not Mr. Connor am I? So drive."

Dom sighed, he knew better than to argue with Maria if he wanted to keep his job. He pulled away from the side of the road by the nursery despite wanting to wait for Carla, hoping that she would be able to get back without too much hassle.

As the car pulled away, Carla tutted to herself, she knew what Maria had done and that she was being deliberately awkward, through she hadn't expected anything else given their first encounter. She wondered how she would be reacting if she knew the whole truth about what had happened and though she didn't want to make Liam's life anymore difficult, she couldn't help wishing she did know so that she could give things with Liam a proper go. After telling him that they should forget about their night she'd found that it was all she could think about when she was on her own and she wished she hadn't said it. However, before she could think about it anymore, Dempsey came running towards her. "I make you a present"

Carla lifted Dempsey as she ran to her and she frowned, "oh, have you? Where is it?"

"My bag"

"Are you going to show me?"

Dempsey nodded and handed Carla a piece of paper with a picture of the two of them with their arms wrapped around each other smiling placed in the centre, Dempsey having decorated around the sides of it with glitter and sequins to make a kind of photo frame. "Dis"

"Oh baby, I love this"

She pointed to the photo, "Dempsey and mama"

Carla smiled, "I know. I think this needs to be stuck up on the wall in our room."

"Yeah . . ." Dempsey grinned and Carla kissed her on the cheek before beginning the walk home.

Before getting back to the house Maria made Dom stop off at Underworld, and after getting out of the car she walked through into the office. One thing that did bug her was that Carla wasn't even working for a full day and she intended to take it up with Liam, it being to her, just another reason why Carla shouldn't have the job. She was pleased to get inside and find the place empty and on getting into the office she ran her finger over some papers and silently tried to find something that would make Carla's life difficult. _She's just a council estate slapper_, she thought and thoroughly intended to make sure she ended up back there.

Maria smirked when she found the post it note stuck onto the computer and after leaning over to the phone, she dialed the number that was written on it. When the phone was answered at the other end, she spoke. "Hello, I'm just ringing to ask whether an order was made for Underworld today? . . . It was? . . ." she smirked. "I'm calling to cancel it, we've got a newbie in and she was told not to carry out the order . . . I'm sorry for wasting your time." Maria hung up the phone and then turned on her heel to walk out of the office and eventually the factory. After locking the door she walked back to the car and settled into the back of it while Dom continued the journey home.

Back at the house Carla had just arrived and on getting inside Dempsey dropped her bag onto the floor and ran through into the kitchen where Liam was standing, "hello trouble" he smiled and picked her up.

"Hello"

Carla put Dempsey's bag on one of the coat hooks before wandering through into the kitchen herself.

"Where's Liam?"

"Maria picked him up"

"Yeah . . ."

"She picked him up with Dom, I walked home with Dempsey"

Liam frowned "why?"

"I just did"

"I go play?" Dempsey questioned and Liam let her down as Carla answered.

"Come put this up with me first?" Carla held her hand out to Dempsey and smiled when she took it. The pair of them headed down the hall and upstairs into their room, leaving Liam leant against the side in the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 16

Carla and Dempsey had bathed and were settled in bed. Carla had let Dempsey put cartoons on for a little while but about ten minutes into having them on there was shouting from Liam and Maria that had come from downstairs. She swallowed hard, guessing that they would be arguing about her and as much as she didn't want to cause more trouble for Liam she didn't want to move out either. Carla sighed and pulled Dempsey close as she tried to ignore what might or might not be going on downstairs between the man she loved and his wife.

Downstairs, after April had left, Maria had gone into the kitchen where Liam had been on his laptop and had slammed it shut before declaring that she wanted to talk to him, a discussion that had quickly become heated.

"I don't want her here, Liam, I don't know why you can't understand that and I can't imagine why you would think that I wouldn't have a problem with you moving her in behind my back."

"I tried to call you to let you know before you came back, you didn't answer your phone."

"I was away with my mum, I wasn't expecting you to move in any little tarts to my home."

"Our home, and she isn't a tart."

"Why are you defending her?"

"You're making such a huge issue about this when you don't need to. Carla is here until she finds somewhere else and for no longer than that. I'm helping out a friend like you helped out Fiz when you let her stay here for a couple of weeks, like you would help out any of your friends if you needed to and you would not expect me to go on like you are now."

"But I didn't move a man in who was trying to get into my bed." Maria shouted.

_She's not trying to, she has_, Liam thought. "Oh stop it Maria, you are over-reacting."

"She's not even your friend, you've known her for two minutes."

"It's long enough, I get on well with her."

"I don't."

"So? Make more of an effort with her. You can't tell me you've given her a fair chance, as soon as you met her you made it quite plain that you didn't like her. The incident at the office in Underworld for example, you had no right going in there and doing that."

"I am your wife Liam."

"Yes you are, but that doesn't mean that you can treat people how you want."

"She doesn't belong here."

"No, so where does she belong then?"

"On the grimy council estate she came from," Maria snapped and Liam shook his head a little. Maria had never done a hard day's work in her life and she was acting like a spoilt brat about Carla staying with them for a couple of days and after the knowledge that he had just found out about what had happened to Carla he found himself just wanting to go upstairs and into the room she was in to hold her.

"Don't ever say that to me ever again."

"You wouldn't be getting so angry about this situation if you didn't care about her more than you're admitting."

"I don't agree with how you're talking about her, you don't have to make it into something more," Liam snapped.

"If she doesn't move out, I am going to."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Even that won't make you get rid of her."

Liam pushed his hair back with his hand before letting out an angry sigh, shaking his head a little as he tried to get through to his wife. She made him so angry sometimes; it was like she thought the whole world revolved around her. He knew that it had when she had been a child and had lived with her parents, and for a while he did whatever she wanted, but not now. Though he hadn't told her yet there was only one person other than his son that was at the centre of his world now and it wasn't the woman standing in front of him. "No, there is no need for me to. Give it a couple of days and she'll have found somewhere else. You have clicked your fingers and you think that you should get whatever you want immediately, and until now that's happened. Well, you're going to have to wait this time. I am not asking her or telling her to go anywhere." Liam snapped.

"So you care more about her feelings than mine?"

"Right at this moment in time, yes."

The words were out before he had chance to stop them and he sighed when Maria turned around and left the kitchen, leaving Liam regretting what he had said. However, what he had said was the truth, he found himself caring more about Carla as each second passed but he knew saying what he had to Maria had been the wrong thing for him to do. For a second Liam considered going after Maria to try and talk to her but with knowing how angry she was he decided against it. He sat down in one of the kitchen chairs at the table and sighed heavily, wondering how he was going to get out of the situation that he now found himself.

Liam wasn't sure how long he had been sitting in the kitchen just thinking about what had happened between himself and Maria, as well as what had happened in general over the past couple of days. He guessed that he must have been sitting there for a while, as it was now dark outside. Absentmindedly he thought about Maria and where she was, though he couldn't bring himself to go to try and find her. Liam sighed once more at how hard things were, but he was brought out of his thoughts when voices sounded from the hallway. He moved to stand by the door and it was seconds before he recognized the voices as Dom and Carla.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier . . ."

Carla frowned, "why would you be sorry?"

"Well I would have waited for you . . . I just . . ."

Carla nodded and interrupted him before he could finish, "I know, I know why. Don't worry about it. At least it wasn't raining . . ."

Dom smiled and hesitated for a moment before speaking again, stuttering a little as he did. It almost made Carla laugh, coming from such a big guy it sounded mad to her. "I . . . I erm . . . I was . . . I was just wondering if I could take you out for a drink sometime."

"As a friend, or?"

Dom smiled shyly "the or . . ."

Carla let a small smile pass her lips but before she could answer, Liam walked down the hall to the pair of them. "Dom can I have a word?" he questioned, his tone a little sharper than usual.

"Yeah, of course," he frowned, walking of to one side with him as Carla walked through into the kitchen to get herself a drink.

"I don't pay you to flirt with the people that live here, Dom. Have you sorted out that car yet?"

He sighed, "no, it's too late to do anything now and I was only asking her for a drink. I don't think she's going to be up for it now anyway."

"Try and have that sorted for in the morning," Liam mumbled, referring to the car as he walked back up to the kitchen, closing the door to so that he and Carla were on their own.

Carla sat down at the kitchen table with the glass of milk that she'd jut poured herself when Liam closed the door and crossed one leg over the other as she pulled her nighty down over her legs a little further. "I take talking to Maria didn't go to well?"

Liam sat down opposite Carla and sighed after shaking his head. "No, it didn't. She's stormed off and I've not spoken to her since."

"Is having me here really worth all of this trouble?"

Liam nodded, "and more"

Carla smiled, "oh you charmer" she teased, hesitating for a moment before she spoke again. "I wanted to get you on your own . . ."

Liam raised his eyebrow with a smirk, "oh yeah?"

"don't get too excited, I just wanted to talk . . ."

Liam laughed quietly before nodding, "about last night?"

Carla nodded

Liam frowned, "I thought you might . . ." he offered a supportive smile before speaking again, "what about it?"

"Do you think of me differently?"

"Why would I?" Liam wanted to tell her that he loved her more than he had done before he'd found out what she had been through but he knew that probably wasn't the best thing to say, at least not at that moment in time.

"Well, I . . . After what happened between us and everything . . . I thought you might regret it . . ."

"I didn't regret it the morning after, why would I now?"

"Well . . . I'm damaged . . ." Carla whispered, her voice cracking with emotion as she spoke.

Liam reached over the table to take her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, shaking his head. "Carla you are the bravest, most beautiful person. I've ever met, all that bastard did to you does not change any of that."

"You're really special you are, do you know that?"

Liam smirked and nodded, "yeah . . ."

Carla laughed and shook her head at him before raising her glass of milk to her lips to have a drink.

"Here, I was thinking, you know that we were talking about taking the kids to the beach for the day?" Carla nodded, "well how do you fancy doing it at the weekend, I haven't got anything planned and I think after this week a day away might be what I need."

"I think that sounds like a plan, though I will have to check Dempsey approves before a say for sure."

Liam smirked, "of course . . ."

"But I think she will . . ."

Liam smiled and nodded, "it's a date then."

"I don't know about that . . ." Carla smiled and finished off the milk that was in her glass, getting up to put the now empty glass in the sink before speaking to Liam once more. "I think I better go up to bed, it's getting on a bit now . . ."

As she walked to the door Liam couldn't help admiring her legs. He knew that she was the one he wanted and not the woman he was married to. Before he had the chance to stop himself or talk himself out of what he was about to do, he took Carla's hand to stop her from walking out of the kitchen and stood up. Liam pulled Carla's hand gently so that she was standing close to him, their chests lightly touching, he moved his hands to either side of her head and Carla's breath hitched in her throat. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"Something that I've wanted to do since the other night . . ." he answered before letting his lips touch hers.

It was seconds before Carla responded to Liam's kiss, stepping a little further into his embrace as his tongue found hers. She knew they shouldn't have been doing what they were, though at that moment in time it was the last thing that she was thinking about. It wasn't long before the kiss grew more passionate and Liam walked back with Carla to the kitchen counter. He lifted her gently and placed her so that she was sitting on it, her lips never once leaving his. Liam parted Carla's legs so that he was standing between them and her hands found his t-shirt to pull it over his head. After removing it from him she dropped it onto the floor as Liam slowly ran his hands up her thighs. Carla gasped as his hands found their way under her nightdress and his lips fell to her throat. She rolled her head to one side a little, a sigh of approval passing her lips as he kissed and nibbled his way across her tender flesh. Liam's hand found the small of Carla's back as he pulled her forwards on the kitchen counter so that she was sitting on the edge. Carla ran her hand over Liam's hair gently and pulled him a little closer to her so that she could kiss him once more. However, before her lips had the chance to touch his, footsteps sounded from out in the hallway. Liam stepped back and Carla stood up, she frowned, and turned around just waiting for the door to open as Liam pulled his shirt back on.

Dom stepped through the door in the kitchen and Carla forced a small smile as he headed to the sink to get himself a glass of water, which she guessed was to take to bed with him. "Sorry, were you talking?"

Carla shook her head, answering before Liam could. "No, I was just having a drink."

"Oh . . ." Dom smiled and turned around to the sink with his glass as Liam took Carla's arm and made her take a step closer to him.

Liam dipped his head to whisper to Carla, "don't think of him as stopping that from happening, just think of him as delaying it . . ." he let go of her arm and stood up straighter after he had finished speaking, a small smile playing on his lips as Carla swallowed hard.

She was rendered speechless for a moment before she managed to sort herself out enough to speak, having felt like she'd just melted at Liam's words. "I think I better go back to bed, night night . . ." she wandered out of the kitchen and to the stairs, re-playing what had happened between herself and Liam over and over in her mind as she walked across the landing and into the room she was using.


	17. Chapter 17

Carla let her body sink into the expensive leather seating of the car that Dom was driving. They were going in the direction of Michelle's salon though Carla had no idea where it was. Michele had texted Carla earlier that morning and told her that she was down to have the free treatment that she had promised her at the party that day. Liam had allowed her to have the afternoon off, though she felt guilty about it after what had gone on that morning. On going into work Carla had found the people who worked on the machines kicking off about there being no material. After a conversation with Hayley, Carla had told her that she had ordered what she had been asked to the night before. So, they were left with a dilemma and had been unsure of what to do. Hayley had phoned Liam while Carla had placed the order once again and when he had arrived, he hadn't been as annoyed as Carla thought that he might have been. She had had no intention in telling him that she needed to have the afternoon off but it turned out that Michelle had called him too and he had let her know it wouldn't be a problem. As she sat in the car she thought about what had happened, though she had no idea how things could have gotten so mixed up. She had second-guessed herself all morning as to whether she had ordered what she had been asked to, but she was sure she had. She decided to try and remember to ask Liam if he knew anything about it on getting back. She knew that he intended staying at the factory in her absence and she did feel bad about it, after he already let her have so much time off as it was. However, he had told her on more than one occasion that morning that he didn't mind her leaving early and if she was truthful she was excited about the massage she was due to have.

Carla had been worried about getting back in time to pick Dempsey up from nursery but Liam had assured her that if she wasn't he would pick her up instead. They hadn't mentioned anything about what had happened between them the previous night and Carla had wondered why, though given they'd both had such a hectic mornings she guessed that was at least part of the reason. That, and the knowledge that Underworld probably wasn't the best place to discuss it. Everytime she'd been left on her own or in silence the clinch she had shared with Liam the night before was what she had thought about, she couldn't get it, or him off her mind and she knew that as her feeling's were growing it was just making the situation that they were in more and more complicated. She sighed quietly in the back of the car as she thought about what had happened between herself and Dom. Before she'd had the chance to respond to his offer, Liam had interrupted and told him that he wanted to speak to him. She hadn't known what they had spoken about but she had a niggling feeling that it was her. She had considered not mentioning anything to Dom about it in fear of it being awkward between them, but she knew that it would probably be awkward either way and the least that she could do was to let him know where he stood with her. It wasn't that she didn't like him, she did, and she thought that as much as she knew of him he was a lovely guy. However, she was head over heels in love with his boss, and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to let him know that, without giving anything away about her feelings for Liam or hurting his. Once again after getting lost in her thoughts, Carla hadn't even noticed that the car had stopped; it took Dom speaking to her to pull her from her thoughts and prompt her to get out of the car.

"Carla you're here . . ."

"Oh, sorry Dom I was miles away there . . . Thanks for the lift . . ."

"You're welcome. Have a nice afternoon."

"Thank you . . ." Carla smiled and opened the door to get out of the car when her earlier thoughts came back to her about speaking to Dom. She wanted to put it off but knew that she would only worry about it until she did, and that was what prompted her to talk, though how unsure she was about doing so was evident in her tone. "Dom . . . About last night . . ."

"Don't mention it, Carla . . ." He smiled a warm smile and Carla sighed, returning one.

"No, I want to say that I don't want you to think that I'm just ignoring it, I would have said yesterday but Liam interrupted me. It's not that I don't like you; I just don't want anything like that at the moment. But, if you wanted to go out one night as friends I might be able to free up a space in my diary for you . . ."

Dom laughed and nodded, "well if you manage to find that space be sure to let me know."

Carla nodded with a small smile, "have a nice day, Dom."

"You too."

Carla walked into the salon that Michelle ran and there was a large open reception area that was done out in white with a red statement wall in the middle that the reception desk sat against. There were two chairs in the corner and a stand with various products on it. Carla considered going over to find out what she was selling, but knowing that she didn't have enough money to buy anything stopped her. She was only there after being offered a freebie. She walked over to the reception desk and was about to inform the woman behind it of her name when Michelle stepped out into the open area and smiled in her direction. Carla returned the smile and when Michelle reached her she accepted and returned a hug and a kiss on each cheek. "Hi Carla, how are you?"

"Quite excited for this massage"

Michelle laughed, "Come on then"

"Do you do it?"

Michelle shook her head, "I'm not doing yours, I'm going to have one too. I've got the girls to have it so we can be in the same room."

"I didn't even know you could do that"

"It's usually more for couples but girlfriends do it sometimes."

"Oh right . . ."

Michelle led Carla down a wide corridor, and on either side of her there were five treatment rooms. There was a chair for whoever was waiting outside each one of the rooms and the doors were made from some kind of expensive wood. Michelle opened the door to treatment room two and Carla stepped inside, letting it close behind her as she returned the smiles of the two blondes standing in front of her, one of them at the side of each of the two beds. The two girls, Carla guessed, weren't much older than she was and they were dressed in cropped white trousers and a white tunic, their make-up had been applied perfectly and their hair was pulled back into ponytails. Carla silently wondered whether they were told how to dress and appear when they were at work, though she was distracted from her thoughts as Michelle spoke.

"Have you ever had a massage before Carla?"

"Umm, no . . ." Carla admitted. _Like Frank would have allowed that_, she thought. Even if it had been a female massaging her he would have stopped her and she guessed trying to explain the bruises she had would have taken any enjoyment out of the treatment.

"Don't worry," the blonde girl who was standing by the bed on the right-hand side spoke. "We need you to undress so that you're just wearing your knickers. You can put your clothes on the chair in the corner, then lay down on the bed underneath the towel on there, and I'll leave a folded up towel for you to place over your front. We'll come back in five minutes."

Carla gave a small nod and Michelle stepped to one side as the two girls left. Michelle then closed a curtain that was in the middle of the room as both herself and Carla undressed and moved to lay on the beds. "Have you had these before Michelle?" Carla questioned, though she didn't have to raise her voice too much due to the quiet of the room.

"Yeah, too many times to count. Have you really never had a massage?"

"No . . . I never have time, do I? What with Dempsey and everything . . ." Carla told her, unsure of why she had felt the need to elaborate on why she had never had the treatment.

"Then I think your me time is well overdue . . ."

Carla laughed quietly and nodded in agreement, "yeah, me too."

It was moments later when the two girls returned and the one that had told Carla what to do walked over to stand by the side of the bed that she was laid on, the other one going to stand by the side of the bed Michelle was on. Carla shifted slightly so that she was a little more comfortable before settling down for her massage, swallowing hard when the therapist spoke after adjusting the towel to expose one of Carla's legs. "That's a fairly big scar on your leg Carla, how old is it?"

"It's about two and half years old . . . Why?" She frowned, utterly confused as to why it would matter.

"Oh we just have to check in case it could be painful, so if there was a chance it could be we wouldn't massage over it."

"Oh right . . ." she gave a small smile, which the blonde returned, before applying some oil to her skin.

Carla was pleased that she hadn't asked what had caused it, being so taken aback about her asking about it in the first place she wasn't sure she would have been able to make up a convincing lie on the spot. However, even though Carla hadn't been asked about it, it didn't make the memory non-existent and it came flooding back to her with a vengeance.

_It was a month before Carla was due to give birth and she had told Frank the previous day how scared she was about it. However, he'd woken her up early that morning and had told her he needed to go out for an early business meeting but that he would be back. She had gone and done some shopping, bought some clothes and made sure the nursery she had decorated for her baby was finished. For the rest of the afternoon and the night she had done pointless things to try and take her mind off Frank not being there. Carla had had a bath and changed into nighty before curling up on the couch, silently wondering where he was but at the same time was trying not to get herself too worked up about it._

_When the clock reached half twelve in the morning Carla began to get angry, he knew how worried she was yet he thought that it was all right for him to stay out all day and all night. She had tried calling him but he had turned his phone off in the afternoon and she was suspicious that he was hiding something from her by doing so. When the house began to grow cold she picked up a blanket and covered herself with it. Carla guessed she must have nodded off as the next thing that she knew, Frank had opened the door with a clatter and it startled her. She frowned and stood up before walking into the hallway of the house, shaking her head as it dawned on her that he was drunk. "Where have you been?"_

_"Out, I told you I was going out this morning." He closed the door shut heavy handily before walking straight past Carla and into the living room._

_"No, you told me that you were going to a meeting and that you'd be back."_

_"I am back."_

_"You're drunk."_

_"Well done." he smirked before laughing at his own comment as he reached into the cupboard to pick up an expensive bottle of Whiskey._

_As he went to pour it into a glass, Carla walked over and took it from him before shaking her head as she spoke again, the anger she felt seeping through into her tone. "No, don't just have more to drink. I want to know why you did that?" she snapped, "it was only last night that I told you how worried I was that something happened or that I would end up having to go through it on my own and you think that going off all day and leaving me was the right thing to do. You didn't even tell me where you were going."_

_He tutted and shrugged, "oh don't over-react Carla, nothing happened did it."_

_"Even if it had you wouldn't have known, you turned your phone off."_

_"Yeah, I did. You're doing my head in, now get over it, give me that bottle and give me a kiss."_

_Carla scoffed and shook her head a little before speaking up once more. "You have got to be joking. You can get stuffed Frank. Stay on the couch tonight, I don't even want to speak to you." Carla snapped and turned to leave the room, but before she could get out of the door, Frank turned around and threw a glass at her. However, due to the alcohol in his system he missed her and it smashed off the wall, causing one of the shards cut her leg. Blood immediately began to seep from the wound, but before Carla had the chance to do anything, Frank was on her, holding either one of her shoulders as he turned her around and pushed her back against the wall harshly. "You ever talk to me like that again and it won't just be a cut on your leg you get." Frank was so close to Carla that she could smell the alcohol on him that he had been drinking, as well as nicotine, though she thought better than to question him about if he had been smoking. "You can stay on the couch tonight and I expect an apology in the morning." he tapped her on the cheek firmly with his hand before pushing her backwards as he let go and walked upstairs, leaving a terrified Carla shaking and fighting back her tears as she stood in the broken glass._


	18. Chapter 18

The following morning, Liam was sitting eating some cereal after getting up later than normal. April had taken little Liam to nursery and he guessed Carla had gone to work. The night before he had found out that Maria had gone to stay at a hotel after the argument they'd had about Carla staying and at that moment in time he didn't care. In his opinion she was over-reacting and being silly. He had told her that Carla wouldn't be there long but it seemed she still wouldn't let it drop. If she had known what had gone on between the she would have had a reason not to want her there but she didn't, and at that moment in time Liam felt she was acting like a child and had silently decided that she could get on with it. He wasn't going to kick Carla and her young daughter out on the street when they had no where else to go, just due to his wife's temper tantrum.

Liam sighed when the door went, he wasn't expecting anyone and he was currently in the kitchen with only his boxers and a t-shirt on. It wasn't the appropriate attire for someone who was there to talk business with him. However, when the Irish accents that laced the voices, which spoke as the door was opened, sounded down the hallway, he couldn't help wishing that it were someone who wanted to talk business instead. Having to deal with his parents was the last thing he needed on top of everything else. After the door had been opened, it was seconds before Liam's mum, Helen, made her way up the hallway and into the kitchen. "Liam Connor, you're still in your nightwear at this time? Go upstairs and get changed please, we need to talk."

"Can you not talk to me while I'm like this?"

"No I can not. Go" she instructed and Liam sighed, putting the spoon he had been eating with back into the bowl of cereal before getting up.

"Bossy as ever mum" Liam sighed and kissed her on the cheek before turning to leave. As he walked down the hallway he smiled as his father and granddad were walking up it. "Hi dad . . ." he smiled and shook his hand before pulling him into a hug, doing the same to his granddad afterwards. "I didn't know that you were coming a granddad Jack?"

"Oh you know me son, always full of surprises."

Liam laughed and nodded, "well make yourself at home. I better go and do as I'm told."

Barry chuckled and Jack turned to walk into the luxurious living room of Liam's home, causing him to frown. What are you doing, dad?"

Jack shrugged, "you know what the boy said, to make ourselves at home."

Barry laughed again as Jack made his way into the room, picking up the TV remote as he walked to the couch. Barry then continued into the kitchen and closed the door a little before speaking to his wife. "Don't go too hard on him, Helen, I know what Maria had said but let him tell you his side of the story too."

"I know what's gone here Barry. He has moved in some other woman and no wonder Maria is upset about it. It must be serious if she was talking about coming out to stay with us. I intend putting it right and getting rid of whoever this woman is."

"It might not be what you think . . ."

"Oh I know what it is, from what Maria told me she is a cheap little nobody that is taking advantage of our Liam and ruining his marriage in the process."

Barry sighed, he was getting nowhere with his wife and the last thing he wanted was for them to begin arguing only moments after they had arrived. "All I'm saying is that before you jump to conclusions, ask him about it."

Helen shook her head dismissively at what her husband had said, before walking around the large kitchen table to get herself a drink. "Where are the staff when you need them? He should really make sure they are more on the ball than this." she muttered disapprovingly while flicking the switch on the kettle so that it began to boil.

Liam showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt, with his parents being there he doubted that he would have the chance to do any business that day, so he decided casual dress wear should be fine. On getting downstairs he sat back down at the table, joining his mother. He sighed and tilted his head back for a moment before speaking up, knowing already what his mum was there about. "Right, come on, I'm waiting for my lecture."

"I brought you up to treat me with more respect than that, Liam Connor. You know poor Maria is devastated with what you have done."

Liam signed, "that's just it though mum, I haven't done anything."

"You know she was n the phone to me asking if she could come and stay with us for a while, things are that bad."

"She's over-reacting again."

Helen raised her eyebrow a little, "do you want to sort things out with her?"

_No_, Liam thought, though he thought better of saying that out loud to his Mother. "Of course I do"

"That's good, you know, it's not just yourself that you have to think about Liam. You have a family now, and I have a plan."

Liam frowned, "what are you talking about?"

"I have arranged for Maria to meet you in twenty minutes and I have told her that you will go with the intention of speaking to her about what's going on between the two of you. So, make sure you sort it out with her and then take her shopping and for lunch or something. Me and your dad will pick up Liam from nursery so you can spend the day together, don't let this go further than it needs to Liam, no one is worth risking your marriage for."

_Carla is_, Liam thought, _she is worth ending my marriage for_. However, when he opened his mouth to speak Helen interrupted him before he had the chance to get a word out. "Don't argue with me Liam, just go and make sure you're ready. We don't have long before you're due to be there."

Liam wanted to argue with her but he knew better of doing so. If his mother wanted something she usually got it and he knew that she wouldn't stand for him even thinking about splitting up with Maria, let alone actively trying to make it happen. He stood up from the table and turned to leave the kitchen. There wasn't really anything that he needed to do upstairs but right at that moment in time he wanted to be on his own for a little while before he went anywhere.

Carla had just got back from Dempsey's nursery after picking her up. She had been at work for only an hour when she'd had a call to say that Dempsey wasn't well so had left Hayley covering for her as she went to pick her up. She had let Liam know what was going on who had told her that it wasn't a problem that she'd left. Carla held her arm around Dempsey's back as she stepped into the house and nudged the door closed behind her, there were no cars so she guessed that she was in on her own. She walked through into the kitchen and opened the cupboard in which she knew medicine was kept and after getting a bottle of calpol she made Dempsey have a couple of spoonfuls before going into the living room to get her dummy. When she stepped inside and found Jack sitting on the couch she jumped, putting her hand to her chest. "I didn't think anyone was in . . ."

Jack smiled, a warm smile like Liam's and Carla felt her heart rate slow down as the feeling of shock subsided. "Sorry pet, I didn't mean to scare you."

Carla smiled and shook her head a little, "oh it's fine . . ." she hesitated for a moment before speaking again, unsure whether she was out of order as it wasn't her home. "Urm . . . I hope you don't think that I'm being rude, but who are you?"

Jack stood up and Carla frowned for a moment until he held his hand out for her to take, which she did. "I'm Jack, Liam's granddad."

"Oh, hello Jack. I'm Carla, Liam's letting me stay until I find a flat of my own."

"It's lovely to meet you Carla" he smiled, before raising her hand to his lips to kiss it.

"You too," she smiled and dropped her hand to her side as Jack let go of it.

"Who's this?" he smiled, gesturing to Dempsey with a nod.

"This is Dempsey, but she's not very well today."

"Oh? What's wrong little one?"

"My tummy hurts . . ." Dempsey mumbled thorough her dummy, nuzzling her head into Carla's neck. "Want my jamas on mama"

"I know baby . . ." Carla ran her hand over Dempsey's hair gently before turning to Jack as he spoke.

"I tell you what, why don't you go and get her changed and I will make her something to drink."

Carla gave a small smile, "are you sure?"

Jack nodded, "does she have a bottle down here?"

Carla nodded, "yeah it's the pink one in the kitchen," she smiled before walking through the hallway and upstairs. She changed Dempsey into a pink and white polka dot pajamas shorts and vest set, and then headed back downstairs and into the kitchen. As she walked through Jack handed Dempsey a bottle of weak juice and she gave a shy smile, "thank you" she whispered.

Carla gave a thankful smile as Dempsey took the bottle from him and began drinking the juice. Carla stopped her and moved it before speaking. "Just sip it or you'll make your tummy worse."

Dempsey rested gently against Carla as she made her way back into the living room with Jack. Carla sat down on the chair and Jack on the couch. When Carla sat down she placed Dempsey on her lap so she had her back against her chest, and she made gentle circular motions on her stomach. "Oh are you a fan of the horse racing, Jack?" Carla quested, gesturing to the TV.

"Yeah, I don't mind a little bet now and then."

"Have you got one on now?"

Jack shook his head, "no not at the moment. I haven't been here that long."

"When did you arrive? Liam didn't mention anything about you staying."

"He didn't know I was coming."

Carla frowned, "what do you mean?"

"I was staying with Liam's parents, my son and his wife and they were coming here, so I came with them."

"Do you live in Ireland?" Carla questioned, guessing he did given his accent.

Jack nodded, "yeah I do."

Carla smiled and nodded before Jack spoke up again. "So how long have you been staying here then?"

Carla thought that it might have been a little dig at her expense, living with Liam when he was married, but all that laced his tone as he spoke was genuine interest. "I moved here into a house, but it was owned by the guy who threw me out after a couple of months without any warning, and I'd only jut started working at a underworld so instead of staying at a hotel which I couldn't afford, Liam told me I could stay here until I got myself sorted out with somewhere. I've only been here a couple of weeks. The flats are so expensive around here though."

"Oh I know love, and so he should of, our Liam I mean." Jack stated, seeming to agree with Liam letting Carla have a room and she found herself surprised at his words. "He sounds like a horrible man pet, and I know you probably didn't think it at the time but if he is like that, then he can shove his house."

Carla laughed and nodded at what he had said, "yeah, I know."

"Our Liam will probably let you stay here as long as you like."

"I hope so, he has done so much for me already though."

"How did you meet?"

"At the nursery . . ."

Jack smiled, "oh right"

"She is best friends with little Liam"

Jack chuckled, "oh right, I imagine they're a handful?"

Carla nodded, "that would be an understatement."

A couple of hours later and Maria and Liam were still out. Despite not really wanting to he had gone to meet her and he had apologized for what had happened between the two of them a couple of nights earlier, though it was more out of duty than thinking that he had done something he needed to apologize for. He had told her that he understood why she wanted Carla out but that he wasn't willing to make a mother and her daughter homeless when they had more than enough room at the house. Maria had agreed after he had added that he would help her to try and find somewhere, though little did he know she hadn't meant it. She wanted Carla out as soon as possible, regardless of what Liam said.

Maria had also made an issue out of Carla only working until half past two in the office, but Liam had stated that it was his business and she didn't need to worry about it. He had taken her shopping and bought her an expensive lunch at an exclusive restaurant and it seemed that she was pleased and willing to come home, something that he knew would please his mother. He knew that as this had happened it would make the chance of him getting lectured about what was going on between them less of a possibility but he couldn't help feeling that in the long run it might have been better if he had told her how he felt about Carla and that he no longer wanted to be in their marriage.

Helen and Barry had gone to nursery and picked little Liam up while Maria and Liam spent time together. Helen was furious about what Maria had told her and she only hoped that her son took her advice and sorted things out with his wife. She liked Maria, she was a pretty, respectable young woman and she was always very polite to them and carried out most of the things they asked her to. Helen and Barry were also very good friends with Maria's parents and she didn't want what she deemed as foolish behavior by Liam, to spoil that friendship.

After picking up their grandson, Helen and Barry had relieved a lift from Dom who had taken them back to the house. Liam had chattered to them all of the way back and on walking through the front door he raced into the living room to find his great-granddad Jack. Carla, at that moment in time, was in the kitchen after taking Dempsey to bed. She had been dozing for a little while but she had not long woken and complained that she was hungry. After leaving her lying in bed, Carla had gone downstairs and was cutting up a banana into small pieces for her to eat, hoping that it would help how she felt and not upset her stomach even more.

When the kitchen door opened she turned around out of habit, and found that an older couple were standing before her, though she had no idea who they were. Carla hesitated for a second before giving a small smile. "Hi . . ."

"Who are you?" Helen questioned, and Carla was a little taken aback by her abrupt tone. The man stayed quiet, standing at her side.

"Ur, Carla . . . Who are you?"

The well-dressed woman raised an eyebrow; almost shocked that Carla had asked such a question. "I'm Mrs. Connor," she stated, and Carla couldn't help but compare her with Maria as she came across. It seemed to her that she was someone else who thought that as she had money she was better than everyone else and she hated it. "This is Mr. Connor, we're Liam's parents."

Carla was just wondering why the white haired man hadn't spoke when he held his hand out for her to shake. "Nice to meet you Carla, call me Barry."

Carla smiled and stepped forward to shake his hand before accepting and returning a kiss on each cheek. "Nice to meet you . . ." She stepped to one side to shake Helen's hand but the gesture was completely ignored by the lady standing opposite her. Carla swallowed hard and hesitated for a moment before letting her hand drop back to her side. She wondered whether to say anything when Helen spoke up herself. "So, you're Carla . . ."

Carla nodded

"It seems Maria was right about you."

Carla frowned for moment, silently wondering what she had been told, though she guessed it told her why she was acting so hostile. "Why's that?"

"She said you were taking advantage of her husband, my son . . ."

Carla frowned "and how do you know that I am?"

"You seem to have gotten your feet under the table and you're making yourself very at home."

"Liam is just doing me a favor until I get myself sorted."

Helen scoffed and rather than continue arguing with her, Carla tried to diffuse the situation a little. "Erm, I'm just going to finish making this and take it up."

"You're not to eat upstairs." Helen snapped.

"It's for my daughter, she isn't well, and I don't think Liam will mind." Carla's tone was also a little snappier than it had been. _It's not even your house_, she thought, _and you think you can boss me around._

"Your daughter?" Helen raised her eyebrow. "How old are you?"

"Why?"

Before anyone else could say or do anything else, by Helen's side stood Maria and she answered her. Carla hadn't even known that she and Liam were back and she couldn't help but curse their timing. As if having to deal with Liam's mother wasn't bad enough, now his wife was here too. "She's 21." Maria stated, a sly smirk on her expression as she added. "She was only 18 when she had the kid."

"Oh so you're just another statistic then. Another single mum who is being paid for doing nothing, dragging her sprog up."

Carla felt her emotions beginning to get the better of her as she spoke and she fought with them to keep them at bay. "I do not drag her up . . ." she stated, her voice rising as she spoke, furious at being spoken to like she was nothing.

"Don't you speak to me like that girl, you've got it written all over you. You're nothing more than a cheap little tart that is taking my son for a ride. Now, I want you out by the end of the week at the latest and if you're not, I'll be getting involved in the situation."

As soon as Helen had finished speaking, Carla stepped past them with the bowl of food for Dempsey, she headed up the hall and shoved Liam roughly after he tried to stop her and find out what was going on. He frowned as she ran up the stairs and closed the bedroom door rather heavy handily on getting inside.


	19. Chapter 19

Liam walked into the kitchen with a frown and shook his head in confusion before speaking up. "What just went on there?" He questioned, and he knew they would all know he was referring to Carla.

"Your mum and Carla had words son . . ." Barry sighed.

"What did you say to her?" Liam turned to Helen, raising his eyebrow a little to silently let her know that he was expecting an answer.

"Nothing that she didn't deserve . . ." Helen stated before tuning to speak to Maria. "I think I'd like to go it and have a glass of wine in the garden. Would you like to join me?"

Maria smiled before nodding in answer to what Helen had said, feeling silently smug at how Carla had reacted to what had just happened. "Yes, I would. You get the glasses and I will get the wine."

Helen smiled and nodded in agreement before walking to get some glasses out of the cupboards. Barry sighed and mouthed a "sorry" at Liam before turning to walk through into the living room to spend some time with his grandson before he went to bed, unable to help feeling some amount of sympathy for the girl upstairs. Liam tutted as Maria and his mum left the kitchen, he knew it was pointless to continue questioning them as he wouldn't get an answer, and he silently decided to try and talk to Carla when no one else was

On getting upstairs, Carla had tried her best to forget about what had happened only seconds previously. Of course it was easier said than done but she knew that her upset or anger wouldn't do Dempsey any good, especially when she was feeling ill as it was. Carla fed Dempsey the banana that she had cut up for her, before bathing her and putting her to bed.

It was now late and everyone was in bed, Carla was unsure of the time but it was dark so that told her enough. She was laid with Dempsey curled into her side and though she knew that it was probably time for her to settle down herself, she couldn't help thinking about what had happened earlier that day. Carla silently wondered how two people from the same family could be so different, she had never met a man as nice as Liam and yet his mother was the complete opposite of him.

Moment's later Carla's door opened and she frowned, rolling her head to one side on the pillow. Liam stepped through into the bedroom and made a 'come here' motion. Carla shook her head and rolled her head to the other side, which caused Liam to walk into the room and around to the other side of the bed. He crouched down at the side of the bed and trailed his finger down her cheek and onto her neck. "Please talk to me baby . . ."

"I can't, we might wake her up . . ."

Liam knew that Carla was making excuses and he paused for a moment before speaking up once again. "There's no one next door, come on . . ."

"I don't think there's anything for us to say to one another . . ."

Liam raised his eyebrow a little. "I think we have a lot that we need to say to one another."

Carla bit down on her bottom lip gently, she knew hat Liam wasn't going to give up and that if she carried on talking to him, there was more risk of them disturbing her daughter. She sighed quietly; it had taken her so long to get Dempsey to settle in the first place it wasn't something that she wanted to risk. Carla moved to carefully get out of bed, she checked that Dempsey was still settled, before letting Liam take her hand and lead her out of the bedroom, into the one next door. He closed the door to as she stepped into the room, trailing her hand over the expensive chest of drawers that was placed against one of the walls. Liam moved over to the window and sat down in the cushioned bay that was under it. He pulled Carla's arm gently and made her sit on his lap, he raised his legs up so that his knees were bent and Carla placed her legs between his, laying so that she was turned sideways a little. Her forehead was touching his neck gently and after a moment's quiet between the two of them she whispered into the darkness, "no one cuddles like you."

Liam smiled, "not even Dempsey?"

"That's a different kind of cuddle"

Liam kissed the top of her head and raised his hand, using his fingertips to gently push her hair back, so that the moonlight that was shining in through the window illuminated her perfect features. "What happened earlier?"

"Do we have to talk about this?"

Liam nodded, "yeah, we do."

Carla sighed quietly, her breath softly hitting the side of his neck as she did. "Your mum just said some horrible things, that's all."

"What things?"

"It really doesn't matter . . ."

"Yes it does . . ."

"She made out as though I was some cheap little slapper who'd been careless and had a kid. She made out as though I was dragging Dempsey up, that I was taking you for a ride and taking advantage by staying here."

Liam sighed quietly and let his hand rest gently on Carla's leg, his fingertips grazing the skin of her thigh underneath her nightdress. "I know things aren't ideal here and when I say this don't think for one moment that I want you to move out, but, if you want me to I will try and help you find somewhere to move to . . ."

"Are your parents staying for a while?"

Liam gave a small shrug before speaking, "I don't know, they might do, especially if they think that Maria and I aren't getting on." He paused for a second before adding, "which we're not . . ."

"Will you visit me? If I get somewhere on my own?"

Liam smiled and nodded, "what did you think I was just going to pack you off and leave you to get on with things?"

"I'm sure if you did it would make your life so much easier . . ."

"When are you going to understand that I don't want you out of my life, ever?"

Carla shrugged, "I guess I'm not used to people caring . . ." she whispered.

"Well get used to it . . ." Liam smiled, before placing a gentle kiss on the tip of her nose."

"I'll try . . ."

"Do you remember when we were talking about going to the beach for the day?"

Carla nodded, "yeah why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go this weekend?"

"Will you be able to . . . What with Maria and everything?"

"Don't worry about her, would you like to?"

Carla gave a small smile and nodded. "Yeah . . ."

Liam smiled, "then I think you'll find it's a date."

Carla smiled and recalled the last time he had said that to her she had corrected him, though this time she didn't bother. It was a moment before Liam smiled too, remembering the same thing as the woman in his arms. He gave Carla a gentle squeeze as he he'd her closer and kissed her hair.

Frank had called another meeting with Rik after he had been working on finding Carla for a couple of days. He hadn't been told anything about what he had been doing and if or what he had found out. He poured himself a glass of Whiskey as he settled into the armchair that was in the living room of his house. The thought of finding Carla again made him smirk, he wanted to get her back for thinking that she could make a mug of him and run away without so much as a word. As far as he was concerned the minute that she made her vows she became his and he wanted to be the one that made sure she kept them.

The door was answered when Rik knocked and on getting into the house he made his way into the living room where Frank was. He was a little worried about what his reaction would be at the lack of information that he had gathered about Carla, though he hoped some reassurance would help calm the situation if he needed to.

"Help yourself to some Whiskey." Frank stated and Rik nodded, walking over to Frank's drinks cabinet. He got himself a glass and poured a generous amount of the orange colored liquid into it. After doing so, he made his way to the couch and sat down, leaning forward a little as he did. It was only seconds after he had sat down that Frank spoke, immediately wanting to know what point he was at in trying to find his wife. "So, what have you found?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow a little.

"Not much . . . It seems that she has hidden a lot better than we thought she would have."

"Did you use the number I gave you?"

Rik nodded, "yeah it's not in use. It stopped being used the day you sent that text."

"Oh so she got that then. If she knew what was good for her she would have come back the minute she had got it."

"More fool her."

"Oh she will wish she had."

Rik smirked, "silly girl" he had some of his drink before speaking up once more. "Do you want the kid too?"

"Well if you find Carla she will be with her. Just get me Carla, she will do anything for that kid." he smirked, "anything . . ."

Rik nodded and finished the drink before getting up; he shook Frank's hand before leaving the house, and leaving Frank smiling at the thought of getting Carla back. _His_ Carla.

Carla and Liam were still laid together by the window, it was around twenty minutes later and Carla was tracing her fingers up and down his side underneath his t-shirt. Liam moved his finger to underneath her chin and raised her head a little before dipping his own to kiss her. Carla responded and moved her hand up to place gently on the side of his neck. "I love you . . ." she mumbled against his lips in a whisper, but after she had said the words she stilled and wished that she hadn't.

Liam knew that she had panicked, and his heart fluttered at her words. He smiled a little before answering her, "I love you too . . ."

Carla's breath hitched in her throat at his words and pulled him a little closer as small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "Show me . . ." she whispered.

Liam smirked, "correct me if I'm wrong, but if I recall rightly we started something last night that we didn't finish and I've just been waiting for the opportunity . . ."

"Oh, you've given it some thought then?"

"Quite a lot . . ."

Carla laughed quietly before leaning in to catch Liam's lips with her's as his hand travelled higher on her thigh.

Little did they know, Helen had left the room she had been sharing with Barry to go downstairs and get a glass of water. However, when she walked past the room that Carla and Liam were in she frowned when someone laughed and hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open quietly. As she stepped inside to find her son with Carla her blood boiled and she coughed to alert them to her presence as she closed the door to the room.

When she coughed, Carla got up immediately and her complexion paled. Liam did the same and was stood at her side; Helen turned around and walked in their direction, which made Carla swallow hard. If she didn't hate her enough already then she sure would now. "I'll . . . Urr . . ." she gestured to the door but before she got there Helen grabbed her arm.

"I want you out, tomorrow. You cheap little slapper." she spat, before hitting her hard with the back of her hand.

"Don't you ever hit her mum and don't speak to her like that," Liam snapped.

Helen turned around and pointed at him, her finger shaking with fury as she spoke. "Don't you dare defend her. Do not dare, Liam Connor."

Carla was about to speak up once more when Dempsey spoke from in the hallway, calling for her. Without another word, Carla walked out of the room and found Dempsey standing in the doorway of the room that they had been using. "Hey baby . . ." she whispered.

"Mama" she held her hands up for Carla to carry her and she picked her up.

"What's wrong?"

"Miss you."

"I miss you too baby . . ." she walked back into the bedroom and closed the door. After getting back into bed with Dempsey she pulled the cover over the pair of them and held her close. "I love you," she whispered, kissing her once.

"Love you most mama."


	20. Chapter 20

_Thank you all for the lovely feedback you've left on the last couple of chapters I've posted. I have been completely rubbish by forgetting to thank you all for the feedback on the one shot that I posted a couple of weeks ago. Thank you to people who have favourited this story too. I hope you enjoy the next chapter, it's a bit of a filler but I thought that it was necessary to link the story together. As always, feedback is appreciated. :-)_

The following morning, Carla was unsure what time it was but she frowned when she was shook up. She turned to the side and found Liam sitting on the edge of her bed. Dempsey was laid so close to her that she was almost laid on her chest and she wrapped a protective arm around her as her emotions begun to get the better of her as she remembered what had happened the previous day.

"Please don't get upset"

"How can I not . . ."

"I know it's hard, but just know that I meant what I said . . ."

"Which bit . . ."

"You know which bit I'm talking about . . ."

Carla swallowed and bit down on her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. "If your mum catches you in here . . ." she shook her head a little and paused for a moment before adding. "Is she going to say anything?"

Liam shook his head, "no, she's more worried about how it might reflect on her if people know about my behavior" he mocked Helen's accent as he got to the end of his sentence to try and lift the mood slightly but it didn't work. After a small pause Liam spoke up once more, "I know a mate that knows someone and I think he might be able to sort out a flat for you. I doubt she will be going into nursery today," he gestured to Dempsey with a nod of his head, "so just take your time getting ready and getting up and I will try and get back as soon as possible."

"What about the rent?"

"Oh Carla, don't worry about that . . ."

She gave a small nod at what he had said before whispering a thank you. Liam leant down and left a soft kiss on her lips before leaving the room without anyone else knowing that he had been in there.

When Liam had left, Carla curled up with Dempsey once more, stroking her back gently as she stirred so that she settled back down once more. All she could think about was what had happened the previous night, how one minute she had been over the moon that Liam had told her he loved her and then the next minute she was so upset after his mum had found out what was going on between the two of them.

It was an hour or so later when Dempsey began to wake and clambered onto Carla so that she was laid against her chest. She frowned when she found that Carla hadn't even so much as and after a moment she prodded her cheek. "Wakey Wakey mama"

Carla groaned, "it's too early baby" she mumbled and though she knew it wasn't, she'd been awake all night wondering what would happen that day after her relationship with Liam was no longer a secret with his mum.

"My tummy hurts" Dempsey whined and Carla sighed, pushing herself up so that she was sitting a little.

"Still? I think you'll have to have another day off nursery baby." She stood up after swinging her legs around to the side of the bed. Carla held Dempsey on her hip as she headed downstairs and after filling her bottle once more, she picked up a hot water bottle and filled it. She was pleased that no one else was around when she was getting what she needed, and it was mere minutes after she had arrived downstairs, she turned on her heel to go back to her room once more.

Carla laid Dempsey down on the bed and placed the hot water bottle onto her stomach. "Is that all right baby?"

She nodded

"It should help your tummy sweetheart."

"We put cartoons on?"

Carla let a small smile pass her lips and nodded, she turned the TV on and then moved to lay beside her daughter. Dempsey had a sip of the drink Carla had passed her and then turned her attention to the cartoons. It was around an hour later when Dempsey woke Carla once more asking for another drink after she'd finished the one she'd gotten her earlier. Carla told her to stay where she was and headed downstairs to fill the bottle up once more. She was at the sink, rinsing it out when Helen spoke to her. "What are you still doing here?"

Carla didn't answer her, nor did she turn around and acknowledge her.

It was moments before Helen grabbed her arm and turned her around, "don't you ignore me. I want to know why you are still here."

"I have a little girl that is ill upstairs and if you think that I'm disrupting her anymore than I need to, to please you, then you'd better think again." she snapped, filling Dempsey's bottle up before walking past Helen without so much as another word.

As Carla stepped into her room her phone was ringing and she dashed across the bedroom to answer it, it was Liam.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I have you a flat sorted out, what are you doing?"

"I've just got to get ready and then I'm going to have to get my things together but I don't think it'll take me that long."

"Like I said to you this morning, don't worry about it. Take your time and don't go anywhere until I get back."

"All right . . . Tell your friend I said thank you."

"My friend?"

"I thought you said it was a friend you were getting a flat for me from?"

"Oh yeah" he laughed. "I will . . ."

Carla hung up the phone and bit down on her bottom lip gently, she wanted to smile at how he was helping her but it seemed that with everything that had happened, she couldn't. She pushed her hair back gently with her hand before changing into a pair of black leggings and a loose white top. As Dempsey lay in bed Carla collected their things together and it was around forty minutes later when she dressed her. "Where we go mama?"

"We have our own flat now baby."

"I no go, I stay here"

"No, this is Liam's house. We have to have out own."

"But I miss him?"

"You can visit though"

"Lots?"

"You'd have to ask him baby"

As Carla was pulling on a pair of baby converse for Dempsey, Liam stepped into the room almost on cue. "Here . . ." he passed Carla a set of keys and she smiled.

"Thank you . . . I do appreciate this you know?"

Liam nodded and leaned forwards to kiss her on the forehead. " I know . . ." he then turned to Dempsey and tickled her under the chin gently. "I hope you feel better soon trouble. You will have to come and visit Liam"

Dempsey nodded and leaned forward to give Liam a cuddle. He picked her up as she spoke, "I visit you?"

"I should hope so. Who am I going to bake cakes with if you don't?"

Dempsey shrugged, "I no go, we stay here?"

"I'd love for you too sweetheart but you can't"

"but I want to"

"I know . . . But, how about this? What if me and your mama took you to play on the beach at the weekend?"

"In sand?"

He nodded and Dempsey grinned, "yeah"

Liam held his hand out for Dempsey to shake, "is it a deal?"

Dempsey shook his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck for a cuddle before he gave her back to Carla. Liam left the room silently as both Carla and Dempsey had waved at him. She lifted Dempsey to hold after putting one of the large bags over her shoulder while carrying the others in her spare hand. Carla had always known that the time needed to come when she left Liam's house but it didn't mean that she liked it, she hated the idea of not being near him but given what had happened the night before she knew she had little choice. Before Carla stepped out of the room her phone sounded to let her know that she had a text and she frowned. She opened the message and let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips when the address of a flat appeared on the screen.

Carla put her phone back into her pocket and she picked the bags that were carrying the belongings back up before making her way downstairs. She knew that she couldn't really say bye to Liam without things being awkward, and she knew she would probably get far to emotional to try. When Barry walked through into the hallway he gave a sad smile, which Carla returned. "Hey, it was nice meeting you, however brief . . ."

Barry smiled and nodded, giving her a warm hug, which Carla was a little taken aback by but glad of nonetheless. "You too love, I hope you enjoy your new place."

Carla gave a small smile and nodded. "Thank you . . ." She turned around when Dom spoke from behind her.

"Here, let me take your bags, Carla . . ."

Carla passed him them with a thankful smiled and she was about to follow him out of the house when Jack walked down the hallway towards her. "Hey Jack . . ."

He smiled and handed her a piece of paper. "Here . . . I've put on a bet for you on the race that's on at two."

Carla laughed, "oh I hope it wins I could do with the money."

"Well don't forget me if it does."

Carla smiled, "I tell you what, if it wins I'll take you on a night out, how about that?"

Jack laughed himself this time and nodded, "I'll hold you to that pet. Now come here" he held his arms out for a hug and Carla accepted. "It was lovely meeting you, Jack"

"You too pet"

"Are you going to say bye?" Carla questioned after turning to speak in Dempsey's direction.

She waved "bye bye Jack"

He smiled and waved back at her as Dom came back. "We're ready to go Carla . . ."

Carla gave one last smile to Jack, before Liam who was standing at the top of the hall took her attention; she swallowed hard and lingered for a moment before turning on her heel to leave. She bit down on the inside of her mouth as she made her way to the car with Dom, hoping that going back to living on her own would be easier than she thought it was going to be.

Carla had told Dom that he really didn't need to give her a lift, as the flat was only a couple of streets away. The flat was in the same block as the one that Carla had shown Liam a couple of days earlier. However, the one that Liam had sorted out for her was a penthouse and she now knew why Dom had insisted that he helped her with her things. She swallowed hard as they made their way up there and she made a note to herself to call Liam and talk to him, she didn't need to know how much the flat cost to know that she couldn't afford it.

As she walked inside she was met with what was like a glass wall straight opposite her and to her left. There was a huge rug down and on it was an L-shaped black couch with a large plasma TV opposite. In the far right hand corner of the room there was a black piano that Carla thought was far too expensive to have around with a toddler there. The flooring was dark and there were numerous spotlights in the high ceiling that cast a dim glow over the living area. At the right of Carla there was an open kitchen area that had all of the latest gadgets installed, some of them that Carla didn't even know what they were for. Carla smiled as Dempsey gasped when they arrived at the house, and she ran her hand over her hair gently.

On walking around the kitchen area there was a partition and a hallway, which separated the main living area to the other doors that lead to rooms in the apartment. Firstly, there was a study, which was light, spacious and had a state of the art computer on a desk. Behind the desk was a huge window, which was the size of the wall. As Carla walked over, Dempsey pressed her hands against it and Carla smiled at her amazement. There were lots of other bits in the room that Carla guessed were expensive, but she tried not to take too much notice of them, unsure whether they would be staying there for any period of time. After being in the study, Carla walked through into a luxury master bedroom. There was a huge four-poster bed in the middle of the room, and opposite it a huge fish tank was built into the wall. "Fishies mama"

"I know baby"

The wall at the right hand side of the bed, like in the main area of the flat, was glass and in the far corner there was a white egg chair, which matched the white bedding. She shook her head a little and though it was somewhere you dreamed of living she wasn't sure she could go ahead and stay there. Though she knew trying to tell Dempsey that might be easier said than done.

Carla walked on into the room next door and found a room that was empty and plain, as though it was waiting for something to be done with it. All it had was the trademark spotlight lighting and a pink colored egg chair. She walked into yet another room and found that it was done out in white and red mosaic tiles. There was a quarter of the room that was cut of and made into a huge shower. On the opposite side of the bathroom there was a large corner bath with the jets in that created the Jacuzzi/hot tub like effect that Dempsey enjoyed.

Carla shook her head a little as she made her way back into the living area of the flat with Dom. "This is too much . . ."

"It's gorgeous though"

"I know . . ."

"Before you make any decisions about it just call Liam and talk to him." Dom smiled and Carla nodded.

"Thank you Dom"

"You're welcome . . ." He turned around and left the flat, leaving Carla worried about touching anything.

When Dom left, Carla hesitated for a moment before picking up her phone. She placed Dempsey down after walking into the main bedroom and dialed Liam's number. It was only a couple of rings before Liam picked up. "Hello?"

"Liam it's me . . . Can you talk?"

"Two minutes . . ."

There was a pause and Carla assumed that he was walking to somewhere a little more private. When he spoke again she could almost tell that he was smiling. "Do you like the flat?"

"It's gorgeous, but you can't think that I can stay here, I mean, how much does your friend want in rent for a start?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Liam, I know nothing about properties but even I can guess that it is going to cost more than four times what I'm getting a month."

"I've told you not to worry about it, all right?"

"No, it's not. I can't have you paying for me to stay here. Just give me the landlord's number and I'll call him t apologize for messing him around."

"That might be a bit difficult . . ."

Carla frowned, "why?"

"You're talking to him . . ."

For a moment there was silence until Carla shook her head a little and answered, he had done it again. "Oh you have got to be joking . . ."

"'Fraid not."

"I can't afford this though."

"Give me ten minutes, I'm on my way."

Carla was about to protest but she found that before she had chance to get a word out, Liam had ended the call. Carla sighed quietly and put her phone down on the side, guessing that there was nothing that she could do about it now that he had told her he was on his way to the flat. Carla bit down on her bottom lip as the door went and walked over to open it. She gave a small smile and stepped to one side to allow him inside. When the door was closed she turned around to find Dempsey running out towards Liam who picked her up. "Liam, you like our house?"

He smiled and nodded, "yeah, it's very nice. Do you like it?"

She nodded and Carla shook her head a little, "don't encourage her."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about . . ." his lips curled in a subtle smirk and Carla raised her eyebrow.

"So we needed to talk . . ."

"Can I sit down?"

"It's your flat . . ."

Liam laughed quietly and moved over to the couch and sat down, placing Dempsey on his lap as Carla sat down beside him. After telling Dempsey she could get some of her toys from the bags of their things that were on the floor, she turned to Liam and raised her eyebrow a little.

Liam sat back on the couch as he spoke, "I have thought this through . . . Now, I know it was my fault that you can't stay with me now . . ."

"It wasn't all your fault Liam . . ."

"Just go with this yeah?" Carla nodded and Liam gave a small smile. "I don't want you stuck in somewhere like where you were before, this way I know you're in somewhere you'll like, somewhere I know what is going on and somewhere where you don't have to worry about finding the rent every month."

"But what about your parents, what if they find out?"

"They won't, on paper, your down to stay in one of the smaller flats I own, one which you could comfortably pay the rent, and an old friend is down to stay in here."

"You really have thought about this, haven't you?"

He nodded and smiled before speaking again, "and if I want to visit, this is cut off from most people so it's much less likely our time together will be interrupted."

Carla smirked, "that's assuming time together is on the cards."

"I think your forgetting a minor little detail . . ."

"Oh what's that?"

"I can get in here any time I like"

Carla smirked, "oh really?"

He nodded, "and you owe me some alone time . . ."

Carla laughed quietly and Liam wrapped his arm around her to cuddle him. She couldn't help but think that it was how it should be, them two together in a flat, loved up but without any family worries to think about. She knew that for things to be right that little Liam should be with them and hoped that in the not so distant future that he would be.


	21. Chapter 21

_Thank you for the feedback left on the last chapter, here's the next one. :-) I hope you enjoy it._

_P.S. TeamCarterxx, you've mentioned this chapter a couple of times. I hope this doesn't disappoint._

As he had promised, Liam had arranged to take Carla and Dempsey to the beach. He had arranged to pick them up at nine and Carla was running around at that moment in time to make sure that she was ready. It was sunny outside and Carla had just changed into a pink bikini and was chasing Dempsey through the flat to try and get her ready. "Hey, come on you. If you're not ready then we're not going to be able to go and play at the beach."

"We play now?"

Carla wrapped her arm around Dempsey's waist and shook her head in response to what she had said. "No, we get ready now sweetheart." she kissed the side of her head before walking through into the bedroom. After dressing Dempsey into a little white dress and some pink shoes, Carla put on a pair of pink shorts with a white vest. She tied her hair into a ponytail and put on a little make-up. She had just finished when the door went and she left Dempsey talking to the fish tank in the bedroom while she went to answer it.

"Hey . . ." Carla smiled as she opened the door to Liam and his son.

"Please tell me he is not the only one who is excited about today?"

"Oh no, Dempsey is almost literally bouncing from wall to wall."

Liam laughed and Carla closed the door once they were inside, she turned to him as he put little Liam down and she smiled in his direction. "Dempsey is in my bedroom if you want to go in sweetheart," she smiled, gesturing with a nod before he ran in.

Liam stepped a little closer to Carla when it was just the two of them, lowering his voice a little as he spoke. "You know as much as I love spending time all of us together, I would love to spend some time where it's just the two of us . . . Preferably in that bedroom but I'd make do with the couch, or the kitchen . . ."

Carla smirked, "I think I catch your drift . . ."

Liam laughed, "so . . ."

Carla was about to answer when Dempsey called her from the bedroom and she raised her eyebrow at Liam a little before speaking in a whisper. "I think I'm wanted . . ."

"Oh you're wanted alright . . ." Liam mumbled as Carla sashayed into the bedroom.

On getting into the bedroom, Carla found Dempsey pointing at an orange colored fish in the tank and as her daughter spoke, she laughed. "Nemo mama, he no talk?"

"No baby, that's not Nemo."

Dempsey nodded, "'tis"

"No, Nemo lives in the ocean"

"So who's dis?"

Carla shrugged, "I don't know baby, why don't you name him?"

Dempsey turned back to the tank with a thoughtful expression now covering her features and Liam sat down on the bed with a small smile as Carla interacted with her daughter. She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and adjusted her ponytail in the mirror of the dressing table before speaking to Liam. "I needed to ask you something . . ."

"Oh yeah?"

"You know the bedroom, the one that isn't really done out with anything. Can I decorate it for Dempsey?"

He nodded, "of course you can. Do you need me to get someone in for you?"

Carla raised her eyebrow a little, "I think I can manage some painting."

Liam smiled, cocking his head to the side a little. "Well just let me know if you need a hand . . ."

"How come your late anyway?"

"I'm not that late."

"You haven't answered my question . . ."

"I was waving my mum and Maria off"

Carla frowned and Liam smirked.

"They've gone to London for four days."

Carla smiled and nodded before putting on a light, thin cardigan. She then picked Dempsey up after placing her bag over her shoulder, turning to Liam after doing so. "Are we ready?"

He nodded, "I think so." He reached down to take little Liam's hand and then turned to Dempsey as he spoke. "Have you named your fish, trouble?"

Dempsey nodded "yep"

"What's it called?"

"Henry"

Liam nodded in approval, "nice name is Henry"

Dempsey nodded in agreement and Carla laughed before nudging Liam out of the flat. She closed the door and locked it before putting her keys back into her bag. On getting downstairs she got into Liam's car and had expected to find Dom driving but he wasn't. Once Carla had fastened Dempsey into the back of the car she moved around to sit in the front. It was a couple of moments later when Liam moved to sit in the driver's seat and started up the car.

It was around 45 minutes later when they arrived at the beach. During the drive, Carla had talked to Liam, and Dempsey and little Liam had chatted and played with a couple of toys that had been in the back of the car. When they arrived at the beach Carla had been dozing and Liam nudged her gently to wake her up. She sat up a little and pushed her hand over her hair gently as she tried to wake herself up. She was surprised that Dempsey hadn't got restless, though she was pleased that she hadn't. After un-doing her seatbelt she stepped out of the car and opened the back to get her out. Liam had managed to park right on the front by the beach, and as soon as Dempsey's feet hit the ground she made a run for it. Carla's heart jumped to her mouth and she took a large step forwards before holding her around the waist and lifting her up. She knew if she was to run off they would struggle to find her given that the place seemed to be getting busier and busier as each moment passed. "Do not run off here Dempsey, you must stay with me or Liam."

"But I want to play" she pouted.

"I know, but you need to wait a moment."

Carla placed Dempsey down as she picked up a bag of their things from the boot. She trapped her so that she was standing between her legs and the edge of the car. Dempsey leant back against Carla as she checked she had a change of clothes for the both of them and her purse. There were numerous other things in the bag and once she was sure that she shouldn't need anything else she placed it over her shoulder and took Dempsey's hand.

Liam closed the boot of the car after getting what he needed and locked it. He placed his arm around Carla's waist and then began walking along the path. Carla let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips and stepped a little closer to him as they made their way to the beach. "I think my cousin's coming to visit" Liam stated and Carla frowned.

"How many of your family are going to turn up at your house?"

Liam laughed, "he's just broken up with his girlfriend so he's coming to stay for a while."

"How old is he?"

"Same as me"

"Does he have a name?"

"Tom."

"That'll be nice for you, with your dad and granddad too. You can spend some time with all of the boys."

Liam smiled, "I think that will be the plan for one of the night's we're there on our own."

Carla smiled, "well I think I have to start decorating her room tomorrow so think of me while you're having a whale of a time."

Liam laughed, "you know you only need to say the word and I'll get someone to do it for you."

"I know," Carla smiled, "thank you."

Liam gave her a gentle squeeze and continued to walk towards the beach. On arriving Carla and Liam found a spot for them to use, as it got progressively busier. The sun was shining and it was the perfect day to spend there. Carla laid out Dempsey's towel after changing her into her swimming costume behind it. Liam did the same for his son and then laid the towels out beside where Carla's were. Once they were settled, Carla let Dempsey have her bucket and spade and little Liam ran around them with a sponge football that he'd brought along for the day.

Liam took off his t-shirt and his jeans so that he was left in a pair of swimming shorts and Carla did the same until she was clad in only a bikini. She put her clothes with Dempsey's dress into the bag that was at the side of her and her flip-flops on the sand. She picked up a bottle of sun cream and squirted some into her hand before placing it on Dempsey. She leaned over and did she same to little Liam before putting it back with her things as he ran off once more with his ball. She turned around to find Liam sat up on his elbow with a smitten smile on his expression.

"What?"

"You"

Carla frowned, "what about me?"

"You have no idea how perfect you are, do you?"

Carla shook her head and tutted at him, moving to lay down flat on the towel. "Behave will you"

"I'm only telling the truth"

"You're being cheesy" Carla laughed, which prompted Liam to do the same and though the both of them had laughed the comment off, they both knew that he had been deadly serious.

Liam moved so that he was laid down on a towel beside Carla and it was only moments before he rolled his head to the side and spoke to Carla again. "So, when are we going to have this alone time?"

"You tell me . . ."

Liam smirked "you mean I get to make the decisions?"

Carla laughed and shrugged gently.

"How about I turn up one night when I feel like it and surprise you . . ." his voice lowered considerably as he spoke and on finishing his sentence, he raised his eyebrow in a suggestive manner.

Carla smirked, "within reason . . ."

"I think we should kiss to seal the deal . . ."

"Not with two toddlers here we shouldn't."

Liam gave an over-dramatic sigh and Carla laughed, "I suppose I'll settle for shaking on it."

Carla smirked and held her hand out, which he took to shake before kissing it. After doing so, Carla turned so that she was laid on her front and rested her head gently against her arms. She sighed quietly and jumped when something cool was put onto her back. "What are you doing?" Carla mumbled to Liam who was now kneeling over her.

"Putting some sun cream on you, don't want you burning now, do we?"

Carla smirked and enjoyed the feeling of Liam's fingers against her skin and the cool of the cream against the heat that was hitting her from the sun.

It was an hour later and Carla and Liam were sunbathing and chatting every now and then. Silently, Carla knew that she wanted things to be as they were that day, spending time with Liam and each of their children as a family. However, she knew it was unlikely that would happen, given that he already had a wife and that if his mum found out what was going on there would probably be more trouble than either of them would like to deal with. She knew that from what Liam had told her earlier in the week that one of the reasons his mum had calmed down was due to Liam assuring her that things were over between them. Though things were far from what he had said, they both know how careful they needed to be to make sure that she didn't find out what was really going on, until they were both ready for her to. Carla was pulled from her thoughts when Dempsey kneeled down at her side. "Mama, you take me to the water?"

Carla smiled and nodded, getting up from the sand and wandering over to where little Liam was sitting. "Hello mate, do you want to come to the water with us?"

"Where's daddy?"

"I think daddy is pretty comfortable where he is sweetheart . . ." she gestured to Liam, who she guessed was in the land of nod on the towel.

Liam nodded and stood up, taking Carla's hand as she led them down to the water with their buckets. On getting down there, she smiled as Dempsey and Liam played together and it was mere moments before an idea came to her causing her to smirk. Carla crouched down so that she was the same height as the two toddlers and placed an arm around both of their waists to pull them a little closer. "How do you fancy playing a little joke on Liam?"

Dempsey giggled, "yeah"

"What do you say Liam?"

He gave a cheeky grin and Carla smiled. "Go put some water into your buckets . . ."

After running to the water to do what Carla had told them, Liam and Dempsey headed back in her direction and she smirked. "When we go back up there we have to be quiet all right and then when I tell you to, throw the water . . ."

Dempsey giggled, as did Liam and after the both of them had nodded, Carla walked back to the sand to where Liam was. She bit back a laugh as Dempsey and Liam turned to her, waiting for her nod. She paused for a moment before nodding to the both of them as they threw the water in Liam's direction, laughing as he shot up into a sitting position and turned to them all. "What the f . . ."

"Now now Liam, there's children around . . ." Carla teased.

"If I was you I'd start running . . ."

When he jumped up, Carla squealed and ran off down the beach with little Liam and Dempsey. She turned around to find Liam not too far behind her and it was seconds before he grabbed her around the waist and the pair of them went crashing into the ocean. "Apologize," Liam growled.

"It was your son's idea . . ."

Liam shook his head a little and smirked, biting the skin of Carla's shoulder gently from behind. "You liar . . ."

Before Carla had the chance to answer him again, Dempsey and little Liam ran over to the two of them laughing about what had happened. Carla went to step forwards but Liam tightened his arms around her waist to keep her where she was. "We got you daddy . . ."

"I know you did you little monkey. I'm going to have to dunk you . . ."

"No" Liam squealed and ran off, though he was soon caught and laughed hysterically as Liam began to tickle him.

Carla smiled at the two of them together and laughed quietly at Dempsey who was having her own little game. She was running away from the waves of the water as they reached her, jumping over them. Carla walked a little further into the water so that it reached her waist but she didn't make too big of a gap between herself and her daughter. She wanted to make sure that Dempsey couldn't run off, and that if she tried she would be able to catch her before she got too far. She pushed her now wet hair back and silently wished that this was just a normal day for the four of them. When Liam reached her Carla smiled when his arms wrapped around her waist once more, disappearing under the water. Carla placed her hands against his chest gently as she rested against him, gesturing to Dempsey and little Liam who had joined her in her game. "I think they're having fun . . ."

Liam nodded in agreement with a small smile, "I know . . . So while they're occupied, I think I should get that kiss. Especially after your antics before . . ."

Carla smirked and leaned in a little closer to Liam, kissing him chastely on the lips.

"A proper kiss . . ." Liam whispered and dipped his head to catch Carla's lips in a passionate kiss, which she instantly responded to. As their tongues danced, Liam's hands slipped into the back of Carla's bikini bottoms and he gave her backside a squeeze. She laughed and nudged his nose gently with her own after pulling back from the kiss. "Stop it . . ." she mumbled, "or we'll end up getting ourselves arrested."

Liam laughed and gave her a gentle squeeze as they cuddled. He kissed her once more before speaking, "I think we better get back to our kids don't you . . ."

Carla nodded and moved her hand to squeeze his gently before they walked back to where Liam and Dempsey were playing.

They spent the next couple of hours at the beach running around with water guns and playing with the football. After going back to the car to get dried off and changed, Carla and Liam had decided to walk around the shops for a little while before they went back home. Carla had just put some money into a little ride that was on the front for Liam and Dempsey to have a go on. It was moments after the ride had finished, and they had continued walking, when Dempsey yawned and turned to Carla as she spoke. "My legs are tired mama . . ."

"I think you're just tired full stop baby" Carla smiled, and reached down to pick Dempsey up.

"Hey you," Liam ran his hand over her hair gently, "how do you fancy sitting on my shoulders?"

"Yeah," Dempsey grinned, and reached over to Liam as he took her from Carla and lifted her up so that she was sitting on his shoulders. He moved to hold either hand on each of her legs, returning Carla's smile before he continued walking down the street as Carla took little Liam's hand. They had been walking for a little while and Carla had bought herself a new white maxi dress and Liam and Dempsey some sweets they had wanted. She turned to Liam when he spoke and laughed before shaking her head.

"I think we need to go in here . . ."

Carla turned to find a La Senza to the side of them and she smirked. "No chance, especially not when we have two toddlers with us. You need to learn to control yourself, sweetheart."

"It would seem that that's impossible when I'm around you . . ."

"Tell me about it . . ." Carla teased.

As Liam opened his mouth to answer her, Dempsey spoke and pointed in the direction of a toyshop. "We go in here?"

Carla laughed and nodded, "yeah come on then."

Liam walked in with Dempsey and put her down so that she could walk around the store and as he got inside he moved to stand beside Carla, reaching down to take her hand as he smiled. "You might live to regret this."

"I know, but I did promise her that she could have a new toy or two for the new flat."

Liam smiled and squeezed her hand before walking around to where Liam and Dempsey had run off. They hadn't been in the shop long when Dempsey called Carla from where she was standing and Carla immediately knew that she had found something that she wanted given the excited tone that laced her voice. "I get dis mama, please please?"

Carla reached Dempsey to find her almost jumping up and down on the spot in front of a pink ball pool filled with pink plastic balls. Carla let a small smile pass her lips at her daughter's reaction and she couldn't deny that she wanted to treat her. She decided that if she bought it, it could go into the flat in the main room in the opposite corner to where the piano was. When she turned the tag over that was attached to it, to find out that it was on offer she found it hard to resist agreeing. She hesitated for a moment before speaking up in answer to what her daughter said. "If you get this you know you won't be able to get anything else today . . ."

"I get in?" Dempsey questioned, completely ignoring what Carla had said.

"No, not unless we buy it you can't."

"I help you get it?"

"How are you going to do that?"

"I have money"

"Where?"

"In my till from my shop."

Carla laughed and Liam smiled as it became apparent that Dempsey was talking about plastic or paper money. Carla raised her eyebrow a little as she spoke in answer to her daughter. "I don't think they will accept that baby, but, as I promised, I don't think I can say no to this can I?"

Dempsey grinned and threw herself at Carla, cuddling her legs. Carla laughed as Liam made his way over to one of the people who was working in the shop to ask them about getting the ball pool. Carla guessed it was bigger than most and she silently made a note to herself to buy an extra bag of the pink balls on top of the ones it came with.

After they had been bought, Liam carried the box and the two large bags that had been purchased and Carla turned to him as she walked along with little Liam and Dempsey either side of her. "Do you want to leave the stuff with me and take them back to the car and then just drive down and get me?"

"Are you sure you don't mind waiting?"

Carla shook her head and took the box and the two bags from him. "No, go on . . ."

Liam took little Liam and Dempsey's hands before turning to Carla to speak. "Wait for me down by the restaurant on the corner where the benches are yeah?"

Carla nodded and the pair of them shared a smile as Liam walked one way in the direction of the car and Carla walked down one street to the place where he had spoken about. She knew that she would have rather walked to the car with him, but didn't think going up the hills with all that she had bought might have been such a good idea. She sat down on one of the benches, crossing one leg over the other as she rested against the back of it while waiting for Liam.

Carla wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there when someone spoke to her and the voice made her heart beat considerably faster and her body begin shake with worry.

"Fancy meeting you here . . ." the smugness seeped through her tone and Carla felt sick.

"Anne . . ." Carla breathed, struggling to maintain her composure and not fall to bits right in front of her. It was seconds before Carla grabbed her things and stood up to walk away from her but her arm was grabbed and she was pulled backwards as the older woman spoke once more.

"Oh no, you've ran away once, you're not doing it again," she spat.


	22. Chapter 22

Carla pulled her arm back from the grip of the older woman and swallowed hard, she silently wondered how things were going to play out and was terrified of not knowing. "Don't you touch me."

"I bet you think you're so clever don't you, running away with Frank's daughter, with _our_ granddaughter. You won't get away with this Carla you mark my words. You made vows to my son and you know when I say this that Frank takes those vows very seriously." Carla scoffed and Anne raised her eyebrow. "Have you got something to say, Carla?"

Carla had never got on with Anne and though she knew that she wouldn't know the reason she had ran, she couldn't help thinking that if she did she would somehow make it out to still be her fault. "Get out of my way."

"If you know what's good for you, you will pack your things from wherever you are and go back to my son and apologize for what you have done before he finds you, and if you know nothing else from this conversation you know that he will."

"Your son and I are over, he'll do well to get used to that and leave me alone. _My_ daughter is better of without him and if I have anything to do with it she will never have anything to do with him ever again."

"You little bitch," Anne spat. "You have no right to keep Dempsey away from her father and her grandparents."

"I have every right."

"You can't even take care of yourself, how can you take care of her, she would be better off with us and her father."

Carla clenched her fists at her sides and she shook her head at the comment Anne had made, "no she would not." Carla spat, "that little girl wants for nothing and you know this, she has never once asked about you or that animal you call a son. You only want her when it suits you and you do nothing but criticize and shout at her. The next time you have anything to do with her will be over my dead body."

"That could be arranged." Anne stated, her voice now a deadly whisper and Carla swallowed hard. She tried her hardest to seem unaffected by what she was saying, though she found it impossible. Both Anne and Carla turned when Sam's voice sounded from behind them as he exited the restaurant after paying the bill and Carla bit down on the inside of her mouth. "What's going on here?" he questioned and Anne answered him with a sarcastic remark about finding Carla after her disappearing act.

Even before things had gotten bad between Carla and Frank, she had never felt as though she was made to be part of his family. His parents always spoke and acted like they were better than her, and despite how hard she tried to get on with them, they had made it impossible. When she had been living in France not long after having Dempsey it was made worse, she hadn't been able to get away from them and though she'd tried, she hadn't been able to talk him into moving until a year later and even then it was due to business being back in Liverpool.

While both Anne and Sam were talking, Carla decided to use the situation to her advantage and turned, walking away. She turned around when Sam shouted her and quickened her pace in fear of being followed by one, or both of them. On getting around the corner Carla got her phone from her bag and scrolled to Liam's number before running off as fast as she could, given what she was carrying with her. When Liam answered the phone Carla felt like she was going to break down in tears but she just about managed to stop herself and choke out her words to him. "Liam, it's me . . ."

Liam frowned when Carla spoke, immediately he knew that something was wrong and his gut twisted uncomfortably as the emotion in her voice became apparent. "I know, what's going on? What's happened? Where are you?" He couldn't get his words out quick enough and he started up the car with one hand, holding his phone in the other as he waited for Carla to answer him.

"I need you to come and get me, now Liam . . . I'm by the pub on the corner. Please hurry . . ." she mumbled into the receiver of her phone and continued to make her way to the pub that she had been talking about, hoping that she hadn't been followed.

"I'll be as quick as I can baby . . ."

Carla hung up the phone and put her it back into her handbag as she waited for Liam. She hoped that he would be quick, but time seemed to be going doubly slower than it really was and every time someone walked past her she was terrified that it was Anne or Sam and they had found her again. She chewed nervously on her bottom lip and it quickly became sore. It wasn't much longer that she was waiting for Liam and when he pulled up in front of her she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The piece of road that he parked on had double yellow lines, but it didn't stop him getting out of the car and on reaching her, wrapping her up in a cuddle. "Carla, what's wrong?"

She ran the backs of her hands over her cheeks as a couple of stray tears dripped down them and off her chin. She swallowed hard before letting out a shaky breath as she answered him. "His parents are here . . . They know I am . . ."

Liam frowned, "What are you talking about?"

"Frank's parents came out of the restaurant where I was waiting for you and they found me . . ."

Liam sighed and ran his hand over her hair gently, "What did they say to you, and don't try to fob me off with any of your rubbish . . ."

"Horrible things, that I couldn't take care of Dempsey and that Frank was going to find me . . ."

"Don't worry about it all right? We can't talk about this now so just get in the car while we go back. Once the kids are in bed, then we talk . . ."

Carla sniffled and then nodded in agreement to what he had said. Liam leant down and kissed her hair before taking her hand to lead her back to the car. After opening the door he waited for Carla to get in before closing it again and then walked around to the driver's side. Once they were both in the car, Dempsey spoke up. "We hungry mama"

Liam turned around as she spoke and smiled, "how about we get fish and chips?"

Dempsey and little Liam both nodded in agreement and Carla frowned. "Are you sure you want to let them eat in your car, they might make a real mess . . ."

"It does clean, Carla . . ." he smiled and she nodded before Liam started up the car once more and drove in the direction of the fish and chip shop.

On getting back to the flat, Carla sighed quietly and turned in the car to find that on the drive back both Dempsey and Liam had nodded off in the chairs in the back. She let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips. The first one since she had bumped into Frank's parents earlier in the day. "Um . . . You can bring him to the flat . . ." Carla stated, referring to little Liam who was flat out. She knew that Liam may have had to leave to put his son to bed and she couldn't deny that she didn't want him to.

"I was planning to, you don't think I'm leaving you after today, do you?"

Carla gave a tiny smile and nodded at what he had said before reaching into the car. She unclipped the seatbelt that was around Dempsey and undid the straps that were holding her into the chair before picking her up. She held her close before nudging the door closed as she turned around and walked in the direction of the apartment block.

Liam mirrored her movements and locked the car before following. On reaching the flat they walked through into her bedroom and put both Dempsey and little Liam into bed as they were, deciding not to wake them up to change them. Carla knew that Dempsey would probably be grouchy if she was to wake her and right at that moment in time, she couldn't deal with it. Once both of them were settled, Carla and Liam left the room and closed the door too. On getting into the living area, Carla paused for a moment before she spoke up, suddenly feeling a little awkward now that it was just the two of them. She didn't know why that was the case given how much she trusted him and how close she felt to him, but what had happened wasn't something that she wanted to talk about though she knew he would ask.

"Do you want a drink?"

Carla was snapped from her thoughts when Liam spoke and she nodded, "it should probably be me asking you that, but yes please."

Liam smiled and walked around to the fridge to get out a bottle of wine. He then opened the cupboard to get two glasses from it and made little work of pouring each of them a drink. Carla walked over and sat down on the couch as she waited for Liam to join her. It was only seconds before he did and she turned with a thankful smile as he passed her a glass. She chewed in the inside of her lip gently and she knew it was sore but it seemed it was a habit that she couldn't get out of, especially when she was nervous, and at that moment in time, she was. She raised the glass of wine to her lips and had a sip before getting sinking back into the couch, holding the glass in her lap. "You're going to ask me about it, aren't you?"

Liam turned so that he was sitting sideways and he sighed, "you don't want me to?" Carla shrugged and Liam hesitated before speaking once more, silently hoping that she wouldn't take him up on his offer. "If you really, really don't want to talk about it then you don't have to. You know that I would never make you do something that you didn't want to."

Carla gave a small smile and nodded, shifting a little closer to him on the couch before answering. "No, I do . . . I don't but it's different, I trust you . . ."

Liam smiled, "so what happened?"

"I was outside the restaurant and someone grabbed my arm . . . When I turned around it was her . . . His Mother, and she was saying how I hadn't stuck to my vows and that I was out of order for taking Dempsey away and that Frank was going to find me."

"You know why she said that, don't you?" Carla frowned and at her reaction, Liam continued. "She wanted you to feel like this, to be scared and let her get to you. She wants you to think that they are around every corner and to have you jumping at every little thing. You know they won't find you . . ."

"You can't be sure of that . . ."

"All right . . . I'm 99% sure . . ."

"How?" Carla frowned.

"You went without a word for starters, you brought your passport with you so as far as he knows you could be abroad. I know his parents know you were at the beach today, but you could have been visiting or anything and even if they tell him that you were there it's not like you live there. You are down to live at another flat and aside from that you can't be traced; I'm paying you cash in hand. You've changed your name . . . The list could go on . . ."

Carla let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips at his words and she raised her eyebrow a little before speaking up, a hopeful tone lacing her voice as she did. "You really think he won't?"

Liam smiled and shook his head, "nope . . . Now can we stop talking about him and have a cuddle?"

Carla smiled and nodded, having another mouthful of the wine from the glass she was holding before she leant forwards and placed it on the table in front of her. She moved so that she was laid down in between Liam and the back of the couch as he did the same. He reached his arm around Carla and wrapped her up in his embrace. The couch was comfortable enough and big enough for the two of them and Carla couldn't be more pleased that she had asked him to stay. Nothing much was said between the two of them but every now and then they shared kisses and held each other close. It amazed her how quickly he could calm her down or make her feel better about something and she loved him all the more for it. She hoped that what he had said about it being almost impossible for Frank to find her was true, though she couldn't shift the unsure feeling that she had in her gut. However, Carla tried her best to ignore it and concentrate on the precious time that she was getting to spend with Liam on her own. She had no idea when they would be able to do it again and although she knew that he might want to, the situation was far more complicated than either of them wished it were.

It was a couple of hours later and now in the early hours of the morning when Carla woke and found herself still in Liam's hold which made her smile. As she stirred, Liam woke to and turned onto his side a little more. Carla laid back and sighed quietly, hesitating for a moment before she raised her hand and stroked his cheek gently with the pads of her fingertips. "I love you . . ." Liam whispered and Carla smiled.

"I love you too . . ." she mumbled as he dipped his head so that his lips touched hers. Carla slid her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled him slightly closer, Liam's tongue finding hers as she offered it.

It was beautiful, tender and slow and Carla found herself finally knowing what making love really meant.


	23. Chapter 23

The following morning, Carla woke to find Liam stroking her hair back gently with a lopsided grin over his features. Carla laughed quietly at how his hair was sticking up all over the place and she raised her hand to run over it slowly to flatten it a little. "Morning you . . ." she whispered, and Liam smiled.

"Morning beautiful . . ." he leaned down to kiss her but before it could become anything but brief, there was movement from in the bedroom and Carla sat up quickly. She climbed over Liam and quickly dressed in what she had been wearing the previous day, the bits of clothing strewn all over the floor. Liam did the same, though he only put on his boxers and his jeans. It was seconds before Dempsey wandered out of the bedroom and Carla smiled, picking her up.

"Hey baby, did you have a good day yesterday?"

Dempsey nodded, "I play in my ball pool today?"

"Maybe later, sweetheart."

Dempsey nodded and puckered her lips for a kiss. Carla smiled and kissed her before walking into the kitchen. "What would you like for your breakfast?"

"Coco pops?"

Carla nodded and put her down as she began making her something to eat. On being put down, Dempsey raced over to Liam who had been sitting on the couch and threw herself at him, a mischievous grin covering her expression. "Hello trouble."

"Your hair like dis . . ." she moved her own hair to hold two strands and pulled it up, causing Liam to laugh.

"But it's not as long as yours."

"You a boy, dat's why."

She let go of his hair and wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed as Liam lay down with her. "Get up silly" she prodded his nose and Liam pretended to bite her finger, causing her to laugh and Carla to smile at the interaction between the two of them. "Right come on Dempsey, your breakfast is ready." Carla called and Dempsey ran over to her. She lifted her into the chair and as she began eating turned to Liam. "You can go and get Liam if you like, ask him if he wants some breakfast."

Liam smiled and nodded, going into Carla's bedroom before returning a moment later with his son. "He wants some coco pops"

Carla smiled and nodded before wandering back through into the kitchen to make Liam some breakfast. After having something to eat, Liam had offered to take Dempsey and Liam back to his while Carla began painting Dempsey's room and she had been all to pleased to go. Once they had left, Carla went into the bedroom and moved the egg chair to one side before beginning to paint the walls in a baby pink colour.

When Liam got back to the house he walked inside and was met with the playful voice of his cousin, whom he guessed must have arrived earlier that morning. He had always got on well with Tom and he was pleased that he had decided to come and stay with him for a while. Tom usually lived in Ireland and the previous week had split up with his girlfriend, so he was as pleased to get away for a while as Liam was to have him stay. "Where have you been, you dirty stopout?"

Liam laughed, "Shut up you, we have company. Where is dad and granddad?"

"I think they went for a walk to the shop, you know what they're like though they could be ages yet." he smirked and then picked up little Liam. "Hey mate"

Liam grinned "Uncle Tom"

Tom gestured to Dempsey who had her arms wrapped her arms around Liam's leg. "Who's this?"

Liam smiled and picked her up, and when he did she wrapped her arms around his neck. "This is Dempsey" he smiled.

"Hello Dempsey" Tom smiled and she waved, which he did back. He frowned a little in Liam's direction and shook his head in a questioning manner, asking Liam more without having to say anything.

Liam turned to Dempsey and spoke, deciding to talk to Tom afterwards. "Do you want to go into the playroom, sweetheart?"

Dempsey nodded and Liam wriggled from Tom's arms. "I go"

Liam put Dempsey down and Tom did the same to little Liam before they took each other's hands and ran off in the direction of the room where they seemed to spend most of their time when they were in the house. Once they had run down the hall, Liam moved over to sit down at the table that was in the kitchen, and Tom sat opposite him. "So, what's going on?"

"Nothing"

Tom raised his eyebrow, "so who is Dempsey, unless you've had another child you're not telling me about."

Liam laughed and shook his head a little before speaking up in answer to him, "her mum works for me, Dempsey is friends with Liam and I'm doing her a favor."

"Where does she work for you?"

"She works in the office in Underworld for me."

Tom nodded, "so why have you got her daughter?"

"She is decorating."

"Oh that's probably a good idea then. I remember when we tried to decorate with Liam when he was only a year and it was not one of our better ideas."

"He was more help than you," Liam teased.

"Shut up" Tom laughed and shook his head a little at his cousin's comment. There was a pause of comfortable silence between the two of them before Tom spoke up once more, a mischievous smirk tugging at each corner of his lips. "Is she fit?"

"Who?"

"Who he asks . . . Your friend?"

Liam raised his eyebrows, "you have only just split up with your girlfriend and you're already lusting after someone you don't know."

"You haven't got a soft spot for her, have you?"

"No." Liam answered quickly, too quickly.

"I think you have . . ." Tom teased in a sing-song voice.

"Oh be quiet Tom."

It was an hour later when Tom had gone out and Barry and Jack had arrived back. Liam had showered and changed while Jack was sitting and playing with Dempsey and Liam. He walked into the kitchen where his dad was and he smiled in greeting to him before speaking, hoping his dad would agree to the favor that he was about to ask. "Dad I have to go out and arrange a little bit of business, will you make sure that Liam and Dempsey don't go anywhere while I do it?"

Barry smiled in response and nodded at what he had asked. "Of course I will son, what business are you going to?"

"Just a potential client, nothing may come of it but I'm hoping that it's successful."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed for you son," Barry smiled and Liam nodded.

"Thanks dad," were his parting words before he left the kitchen, and then the house.

Carla was on her second coat of painting Dempsey's room and she had spots of pink on her legs and on her arms. She had a radio playing in the room so the flat wasn't left in silence and at that moment in time was dancing around the room and singing along to the song that was currently playing.

_"We practice love between these sheets, the candy sweetness scent of you, it bathes my skin I'm stained in you."_

Due to the music being on and her singing she had no idea that she was no longer alone in the house. She jumped when a voice sounded from in the doorway and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Very appropriate . . ."

"What are you talking about?"

"The song . . . The lyrics."

Carla smirked and shook her head a little, leaning down to pick up another brush before holding it out to give to Liam. He raised his eyebrow, "I hope you don't think I've come here to paint . . ."

"You told me you'd help me if I needed you to . . ."

"No, I told you I would get someone in to do it for you if you needed me to."

"I want you to help."

"I want you full stop . . ."

Carla laughed, "Talk about to the point," she stated sarcastically.

Liam shrugged and took a step closer to her, placing his hands either side of her waist as he pulled her so that their chests were touching. "Put the paintbrushes down . . ."

"Bossy . . ." Carla whispered and then brushed pink paint over Liam's nose. She laughed at his expression and then placed them on the floor. Carla stepped back out of the embrace and turned to run, but before she could make any ground, Liam grabbed her around the waist and she squealed, kicking out a little as she tilted her head back against his shoulder. "Liam stop . . ."

He ran his nose down the side of her neck so that there were traces of the paint there too. "You need to learn how to behave yourself . . ."

"If I was to behave myself we wouldn't be here like this now . . ." she whispered and Liam turned her around in his arms. Carla responded by wrapping her legs around his waist. She leaned in a little closer and nudged his nose gently with her own before kissing him tenderly on the lips. Carla moved her hand to the back of his neck to keep him close and as they kissed, Liam made his way into the living room with her.

When Carla reached the piano Carla laughed against his lips and he smirked as Carla spoke. "I wondered how long it would take you . . ."

"Don't pretend like you weren't thing about it . . ." he whispered, his breath hot against her lips.

When Liam placed Carla onto the piano she shifted a little so that he was standing between her legs. She shrugged gently and leaned in a little closer before whispering. "Well if I'm being truthful, I wasn't thinking about playing it . . ."

Liam smirked and moved his hand to the small of her back, pulling her forwards a little so that they were impossibly close to one another. Carla kissed him once more, letting her tongue find his and get lost in a fiery dance.

Carla and Liam were in the bath and she was laid back against his chest. Carla had her legs rested on top of his and Liam had his arms wrapped around her. Liam's fingers stroked gentle patterns against the skin of her stomach and she let her head roll to one side against his chest. He smiled and pushed her hair back gently before kissing the top of her head. "I wasn't supposed to be out for long."

"Who is Dempsey with?"

"My dad and granddad"

"Where do they think you are?"

"At a business meeting."

"If only they know . . ."

"Hmm . . . I guess this has turned into an extra long meeting then."

"I'm not complaining."

Carla smiled and leaned up to kiss him before settling back against him once more. There were a couple of moments of silence between the two of them before Liam spoke up again. "Do you want me to go and get Dempsey and bring her back?"

Carla nodded, "yeah. I don't think I'll be doing anymore painting today . . ."

"Have I worn you out?"

"Quit with the ego boost and get out of the bath."

Liam laughed quietly before kissing the top of her head. He then climbed out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist. Carla did the same and she pushed her hair back gently, wrapping her arms around Liam from behind. "I could leave you naked right now if I wanted to."

Liam laughed, "I am supposed to be going to pick up your daughter."

"I was only saying . . ." she whispered, biting the back of his shoulder gently. She then pressed her cheek against his back gently and walked forwards as he did.

Carla next found herself in the bedroom and Liam turned around, pulling her down onto the bed with him. She sat up a little so that one of her knees was either side of his waist and he ran his hands up her perfectly tanned thighs slowly. As his fingers traced her silk like skin, Carla raised her eyebrow a little. "Haven't you had enough?"

"I don't think I could ever get enough of you . . ."

Carla smiled and Liam pulled her down a little so that their lips touched once more, and in that moment she knew that she felt the same as he did.

It was an hour later when Liam left the flat to go and pick Dempsey up. Carla had just changed into a pair of pajamas and had decided to try and get Dempsey to settle down early for the night so that they could put on a film and spend some time together. Once she had changed she went to lie on the couch as she waited for her daughter to arrive back. Carla laid back and sighed, letting her head roll to one side as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she remembered what had happened between herself and Liam earlier that day.

When the door buzzed Carla's smile grew wider and she got up off the couch, walking over to the door, her feet padding against the flooring as she did. As she reached the door she spoke while undoing the two locks that were on it. "That was quick, I thought you were . . ."

Carla's breath was caught in her throat as she opened the door to reveal who was on the other side. She was rendered speechless and for a moment was frozen to the spot as what was going on registered in her mind. She slammed the door to close it, but the foot clad in an expensive leather shoe stopped her from closing it properly and after a rough shove it was impossible for Carla to keep hold of the door or close it. She stumbled back a little and as her heart hammered in her chest, she was sure that it was leaving an imprint on the inside.

"Well well, if it isn't my runaway wife . . ." the door slammed closed after a firm nudge back and sounded much louder in the silence of the room than it would do usually.

Carla's arms dropped to her side, her hands shaking as her mouth opened and she breathed the horrifying word. "Frank . . ."


	24. Chapter 24

Carla was rooted to the spot for a moment, but when the door slammed closed it pulled her back to the reality of the situation that she was now in.

"Hello Carla . . ." he smirked, and Carla could sense smugness seeping from every pore of his body.

"I'd prefer a goodbye . . ." Carla whispered, she had hoped that her voice would come out strong, but it had betrayed her completely.

"Ah, the wit. How I've missed it." Frank stated sarcastically.

She bit down on the inside of her mouth for a moment, before reaching out for her mobile phone that was placed on the kitchen counter. She snatched it from the top and turned to into the hallway. Frank was hot on her heels but Carla managed to get into the bathroom and lock the door before he had chance to reach her.

"Open the door right now Carla, I'm not in the mood for your games." Frank bellowed and Carla turned the phone over in shaking hands as Frank aimed a heavy kick at the door.

"No, go away Frank. Leave me alone . . ." Carla called back, though the panic in her voice was impossible for her to disguise. Carla unlocked the phone and scrolled down to Liam's name, it getting harder for her to control the phone as each second that passed her body seemed to tremble more and more.

Frank kicked the door of the bathroom once more and the door swung open, almost falling off its hinges at the power of the blow. Frank stepped into the bathroom and took two strides over to Carla, closing the gap between them. If she could have, Carla would have moved back but she could only go as far as the shower and her back, at that moment, was flat against it. She had pressed the call button to Liam and moved her hand when Frank reached around to take the phone from her. In response to what she had done he twisted her arm up her back and forced her to turn around. Frank pressed her against the shower and ended the call that Carla had begun on her phone. "Your favorite man?" Frank threw to phone down onto the floor so it smashed into numerous pieces and then twisted her arm further as he growled into her ear. "Who is that?"

Carla was powerless to stop a painful whimper from passing her lips at his action. Her cheek was pressed against the cold glass of the shower door that separated it from the rest of the bathroom. "Please let go . . . You're going to break my arm . . ."

Frank nodded, "yeah I will, so if I was you I would answer me right now."

"It's just a joke with a friend . . ." she mumbled, she had wanted that particular joke to stay between herself and Liam, but she knew that was impossible now.

"A friend that's familiar with your bed sheets."

She shook her head, "no . . ."

Frank laughed. A callous, cold laugh and it chilled Carla to the bone. He used his spare hand to pull Carla's head back by her hair and then spoke again, his voice alone terrifying her. "No? So you have all this from what and don't tell me it's from a job Carla, you're useless."

"It's a favor, until I find somewhere . . ."

"Well that won't be necessary now, will it?"

"What do you mean?"

He smirked, "give it up Carla, you know what I mean."

He was right. Carla did know what he meant but thinking it and having it confirmed were two different things completely. Frank pushed her forwards roughly and when he let go of her arm, Carla rubbed it with her hand to try and soothe the pains that were now shooting up it. Frank turned around after taking his phone out of his pocket to call Rik. Carla waited until he had turned his back before stepping past him to dash out of the bathroom door. However, before she had the chance to get anywhere, Frank grabbed her around the waist. Carla struggled against his hold but lost her balance when she was shoved forward by Frank and went crashing into the side of the bath. She fell hard and she was sure that her ribs now bruised, but at that moment in time she tried to think more about how she could get out of the flat before he caught her.

Carla pulled her knees up to her chest as Frank spoke into the receiver of the phone, him being so close was making her sick and she couldn't deal with the thought of being taken away from Dempsey and Liam.

"All right mate? Yeah, it's me. I need a car, right now. So stop whatever you're doing and drive to the flat." He smirked and nodded, "I've found her. Hurry up, yeah. We don't want her boyfriend coming back, do we?" Frank sniped, but that was more for Carla's benefit than the person on the other end of the phone. Carla bit down on the inside of her mouth so hard that it bled, in an attempt to stop her emotions from getting the better of her, however, it was mere seconds before tears spilled down her cheeks. She wasn't sure whether Frank knew more than he was letting on about Liam and their relationship, but she decided against saying anything to him, knowing better than to argue. She was pulled from her thoughts when his hand tightened around her arm and he pulled her roughly to her feet. "Go and put a jacket on and get some clothes." As he spoke, Carla knew that if she didn't try to stop what was happening she would never forgive herself, and it was that thought which made her speak up in answer to his order.

"No. I would rather kill myself than have anything to do with you again . . ."

Frank raised his eyebrow, "before you make that choice know that if you don't do as you're told, there's only one other person for me to take out my anger on."

Carla shook her head, and immediately knew what he was getting at, "you wouldn't . . ."

"Are you sure?"

When she didn't answer, Frank knew that he had her where he wanted her and after a nudge towards her bedroom, Carla stumbled a little and made her way inside. She closed the door to and scribbled an address on a piece of paper before hiding it in one of the drawers in case Frank was to enter. She silently hoped that Liam would find it and come to help her, but couldn't help feeling unsure as to whether the plan that she had thought up in a matter of seconds would work. She placed a bag on the bed and had put some clothes into it when Frank walked in. She swallowed hard and decided against saying anything. Frank sat down on the bed and smirked, turning to Carla before speaking. "It's a shame we'll be leaving in a minute, we could have made very good use of this bed."

Carla swallowed bile as her stomach churned and she stuttered to get her words out as she continued to put some of her things into the bag that was in front of her on the bed. "It's almost done . . ." she mumbled.

Frank smirked, he knew that Carla was trying to change the subject and by her doing so, confirmed to him just how uncomfortable he'd made her feel, which had been his intention on making the comment he had. "Not to worry though, there's a choice of them back at the house, and we have a lot of making up to do."

Carla's completion paled considerably and she flinched when Frank got up. She silently decided not to say anything in response to his comment and instead zipped up her bag. She knew that she had little choice to go with Frank if she wanted to keep her daughter safe and though at that moment in time she would have liked to have thought he wouldn't carry out his threat of harming Dempsey, she knew that he was more than capable.

Carla jumped in shock when the door went and she wasn't sure what she was more scared of. That Frank's right hand man had turned up or that Liam had arrived back with her daughter. As much as she didn't want to go anywhere with Frank she wanted to keep Dempsey safe more and she knew that if she were at the flat with Frank when she arrived back, she would struggle to do that. Carla stepped over to the doorway and when Frank allowed Rik inside she let out a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding as the door closed. There was a hushed conversation from between them and when Carla couldn't make out what they were saying she sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, though made sure it wasn't in the same spot that Frank had just left.

It was moments later when Frank walked back into the room and held Carla's arm once more, dragging her up from the bed and out into the living room. Carla was unsure of where Rik had gone but he was no longer in the flat and though she wanted to feel pleased about it, she knew that he wouldn't be far away. When Frank followed her into the room he threw the bag she had put her things into to her and she only just managed to catch it.

"What's going on?" Carla mumbled and of course she knew, she was clinging to a little bit of hope that something would happen so that she didn't have to go with him

"I think you could probably take a guess."

"Why are you doing this?" Carla questioned, and though she tried to stop the emotion from seeping through into her voice, it was impossible.

"You brought it all on yourself." Frank stated, before giving her a rough shove in the direction of the door. "You should have known better than to cross me, Carla. Now move." he snapped and threw a coat in her direction. "Put it on."

Carla felt herself with little choice but to do as she was told, and fastened it after doing so, hoping that the couple of extra seconds she gained staying in the flat would make it more likely that Liam would find her.

On getting outside he held the top of her arm and pulled her in the direction of the car. Carla struggled with Frank, she knew that if she went back with him she would never get out again, especially when it had been so hard the first time around.

As Frank felt her struggle he pulled her sideways so that she was closer to him and even that made her feel sick. She could feel his breath against her cheek and turned a little, though it was no use. With the power of the grip that he had on her, there was no way that she could move very far. "I meant what I said Carla, you start playing up and it won't just be you that I hurt. So, if I was you I'd keep that in mind before you try anything funny now get into the car." he spoke through gritted teeth and she knew that he was furious.

Frank got into the car beside her and after closing the door Rik started the engine. Carla moved as far away from Frank as she possibly could. He smirked and left a lingering pause before speaking again. "My mother told me that she had a very interesting conversation with you yesterday . . ." Carla gulped. His voice was quiet, and to her, that was worse than if he was screaming and shouting at her. She knew that he knew she felt as she did and she was sure that's why he was doing it. When Carla didn't answer him, Frank continued. "Care to repeat what you said?" Carla grit her teeth together and again, stayed silent. "I think we will have to talk about this when we get back." Frank stated, and Carla knew that it was a threat. Her forehead touched the glass of the window of the car and the cold of the tinted window was almost soothing. A tear dripped down her cheek and she swallowed hard, silently hoping that something would happen to get her out of the situation that she found herself in.

Liam was walking up to the flat Carla had been staying in, holding Dempsey in his arms. When he had arrived back at his house little Liam and Dempsey had been painting and that was why he had taken longer to take her back home. He headed up the steps as Dempsey carried the large piece of paper that she had been excited to give Carla. "Mama picture"

Liam nodded, "yeah. I think she will love it."

"We stick it up?"

He nodded "I'm sure she will."

"I come to your house 'morrow?"

Liam smiled, "oh I don't know, if you give me one of your cuddles I might let you . . ."

Dempsey grinned and wrapped her little arms around Liam's neck tightly as he squeezed her in response. "Now can I?"

Liam laughed and nodded, "oh I think I might be able to arrange something."

As Liam reached the top of the stairs, slightly breathless and wondering why the lift wasn't fixed, given the amount of money that the apartments in the block cost. As he walked along the corridor and arrived at the door that was the entrance to the flat that Carla was staying in. He took his keys from his pocket to open the door whilst holding Dempsey with the other hand but as he went to put the key into the lock it dawned in him that the door was open a fraction. His heart began to hammer in his chest as he pushed the door open, swallowing hard as he concentrated to try and keep his cool given that Dempsey was present.

"Mama hiding" Dempsey chuckled and Liam found himself hoping that was the case, despite knowing that it wasn't.

"Carla?" Liam called out, pausing for a moment desperately hoping that he would get an answer, before calling out a little louder when he didn't. "Carla . . ."

Liam's breathing quickened and he checked the rooms, but on finding she wasn't there his gut twisted. A feeling of dread came over him as he silently wondered but he knew there was little that he could do while he had a toddler to take care of. He turned to Dempsey when she spoke and tried his best to keep things as normal as possible, even though they weren't.

Dempsey frowned "she gone?"

Liam hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile, "she told me she was going away for a couple of days. Silly me, I must have forgotten . . ."

Dempsey frowned and when her bottom lip began to tremble as she pouted, Liam thought that his heart might have broken even more than it already had. "But I give her dis?" she waved her arm a little to gesture to the picture she was holding.

"Once she's back darlin' . . ."

"She leave me?"

Liam shook his head, "no, she would never leave you. She just had to go away for a little while . . ."

"But I want to go with her"

"How about . . ." Liam swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat before continuing, "you come and stay with me while you wait for her?"

"I stay with mama?"

"You can't sweetheart, not tonight . . . How about we stop off at the shop for some sweeties before we go back?" When Dempsey didn't really answer he tried once more, "we could maybe get some for your mama for when she gets back too?"

Dempsey nodded and he kissed her on the nose. "Come on then trouble . . ." he whispered as she wrapped her arms round his neck for a cuddle.


	25. Chapter 25

When the car stopped it only took Carla seconds to know that she was back at the house she had lived in with Frank when they had moved back to England after staying in France for almost a year. A little bit of hope fluttered inside of her as she knew that the note she had left in the drawer would let Liam know where she was and she silently hoped that he would find her sooner rather than later. She swallowed hard and braced herself as Frank moved closer and dragged her out of the car without uttering a word. She stumbled a little and struggled to keep up with his long strides, and found herself thankful when he stopped at the door to unlock it. Once the door was open Frank pushed Carla into the large hall, she had always thought the place had been like a mansion but after being in Liam's house she knew it wasn't even comparable to one. It was a large, expensive house that a lot of people would have loved to own, but no longer as amazing as she'd once thought it was. It was just full of bad memories for her about what had happened to her at the hands of the man she had married.

In a way, Carla thought, it was similar to how she felt about Frank. She had once loved him after everything that he had done for her and if things had been different she guessed that she would have been thankful to him for her whole life. She had been stuck on a council estate with no prospects and he had helped her get out of that. However, the love that she had once had for him was quickly turned to hate after all of the times he had turned on her and hurt her more than she could say. Frank had bought the house after a particularly vicious drink-fuelled attack and promised that he had turned over a new leaf. She had wanted to think that he was telling the truth but it was only a week later when he had done the same thing after a lad's night out. Carla bit down on her bottom lip gently as she stepped into the house that she had also grown to hate and slowly made her way down the hallway, the feeling of nausea in the pit of her stomach getting stronger with each step that she took. Carla stepped into the living room, and if possible, her heart sank further. She chewed on the inside of her lip as Frank walked past her into the room, taking a seat in his chair.

"Sit down." Frank ordered, and Carla hesitated for a moment before perching on the edge of the couch. "Take your coat off."

"I'd rather keep it on," she mumbled

"Take it off," he growled.

Carla swallowed hard before unzipping the coat slowly. She shrugged it from her shoulders so that it was in a crumpled heap behind her. She fiddled with the material on her pajama bottoms and she turned slowly when Frank spoke up once more. "So, what did you say to my Mother?"

"Nothing that wasn't true."

"You upset her Carla and I don't appreciate it."

"You say that like I care, " she snapped, and immediately regretted it.

"I care, she is my family. You would care if I hurt one of yours."

"You'd have a job . . . He would murder you if he wasn't in prison."

"Your brother isn't the only family you have, is he?"

Carla swallowed hard, frowning as she turned to Frank once more. For a moment she wondered what he was talking about, Rob was behind bars and her mum had taken an overdose a couple of years previously. Something, which he had used to his advantage on more than one occasion, that she had no one but him. However, at his expression it let her know just what he was implying and her gut twisted painfully inside of her. "You're bluffing . . ." she whispered, desperately hoping that her words were true. "You wouldn't do that to your own daughter."

He shrugged, "I don't have anything to do with her do I?"

"If you do anything to her Frank, and I mean anything, I will make sure you're six feet under."

"Is that a threat?"

Carla shook her head a little, "no, it's a promise."

Frank smirked and raised his eyebrow a little before answering once more. "But, we both know that you don't keep your promises, don't we? You promised to love and obey me on our wedding day and you have done neither." his voice took on a menacing tone as he spoke.

Carla swallowed hard, the tone of his voice making her feel sick and light-headed with fear. She grit her teeth together and tried to regain her composure on the inside before answering, wondering how someone's voice could do so much damage. But, before she had the chance to answer what Frank had said he was on his feet and had shouted in Rik, who she guessed must have still been in the hall, though what he had been doing in there she didn't know.

When Rik stepped into the room Carla was also standing and she waited with baited breath to find out what Frank had planned and what he was going to do. She didn't have to wait long. She knew that inside he was smirking about having her right back under his foot and knowing that there was nothing she could do about it was making her tremble with worry. "I want the kid," Frank stated. Rik turned around and walking back down the hall as Carla ran out of the room to go after him. However, Frank caught her around the waist and pulled her back into the living room roughly.

"You bastard, you evil bastard." Carla screamed at him, hammering his chest with her fists.

Frank tried to grab Carla but she was wild, hitting him wherever she could and as hard as she could. It wasn't long before Frank managed to hit her hard on the cheek, letting out a satisfied sigh when there was a sickening crack as his fist collided with her. As Carla fell she hit the table that was at the side of the couch and slumped to the floor unconscious. Frank straightened out his suit before calling Rik once more. It was seconds before he appeared in the doorway again; raising his eyebrow at Carla's limp body sprawled on the floor. "Get her in the car. I hope you sorted that house out."

He nodded, "I did, is that where you want to go?" Frank nodded before Rik spoke once more. "What about the girl?"

"Get Danny to do it." Frank ordered, before stepping over Carla and making his way to the car.

Rik raised his eyebrows a little as Frank passed him and got his phone from his pocket to arrange with Danny, the job Frank wanted him to do. It was only a couple of moments before he hung up the phone once more and the job was in place. He had let Danny know that Frank wanted his daughter and that she was with a Liam Connor in Manchester. Once the phone was back in his pocket he picked Carla up easily and took her out to the car.

Carla groaned when she woke up at the pains that were shooting through her body and she attempted to push herself up from the bed that she was laid on. But, as she went to get up her arms gave way and she fell back down against the bed sheets. She let out a frustrated sigh and found herself getting more annoyed at her body betraying what she wanted to do, what she _needed_ to do. However, when Frank's voice sounded loudly in the room she stilled and hoped that he would go away sooner rather than later. "Oh you're finally back with us then . . ."

Carla groaned quietly and there was a lengthy pause before she mumbled. "Where am I?" She was still groggy after what had happened but she knew enough to know that she was no longer in the house she had been and the knowledge made her heart sink, the note that she had left for Liam would now be useless.

He smirked, "like I'm going to tell you that."

Carla had to bite back a sob and tried her best to get her bearings back before she answered him. The bed dipped when Frank sat down on it and she shifted back a little to get as far away from him as possible, though her body felt like lead. "Don't be like that, Carla," Frank stated, "we have been much closer than this before . . . We will be again, soon. So you better get used to it."

Carla had to use most of the strength she had left to suppress a gag at the comment, her body trembled and she silently wondered how she had ever thought that she would get away. She could hide as much as she wanted, but she had known better than anyone how devious Frank and the people who worked for him could be. Carla jumped when Rik called out from the other side of the door and Frank got up and left the room to answer him. She sighed quietly, a slight hint of relief, though she knew that it wouldn't be for much longer as he would be back. Carla tried to sit up once more and this time she managed to push her body up a little. Turning to one side, she swallowed hard when she found Frank's jacket was hanging up on the back of one of the chairs.

Carla bit down on the inside of her lip before getting up. She paused for a moment and stood still to get her balance, holding onto the small table that was at the side of bed to stay steady and to stop herself from going crashing to the floor. She knew that she probably wouldn't ever get the chance she was getting at that moment in time again, and knew that she had to at least try and take it while she was there. Carla leaned over and slipped her hand into the pocket of his jacket, thinking that she'd imagined it when she felt his phone. Her breaths quickened as she took it from the jacket before taking a wobbly step into the en suite bathroom. Carla turned and locked the door before dialing Liam's number and pressing call. She swallowed hard and rubbed her now very dry lips together as she waited for him to answer, her heart hammering in her chest as she did so.

Carla thought that she might faint when Liam's voice sounded down the phone and she couldn't get any words out for a moment as she tried to gather her thoughts a little. When there was no answer from the other end of the phone, Liam immediately thought and hoped that it was Carla. He had been about to leave the house once more but stopped dead in his tracks as he spoke. "Carla, Carla is that you? Please talk to me baby, what's going on?"

"Yeah . . . It's me . . ." Carla whispered, swallowing back a sob before speaking up once more. "I haven't got long . . ."

"Where are you?" Liam questioned, concern and worry dripping from every syllable of the words that he spoke.

"I don't know . . ."

"He's got you hasn't he?"

At his words, Carla was powerless to stop the sob from rolling from her lips as she answered. "Yeah . . ."

Liam swallowed and pushed a hand over his hair angrily, he wanted to tear Frank limb from limb even though he hadn't met him and at that moment in time and he couldn't even comprehend the amount of worry he held for the woman on the other end of the phone. "I love you so much Carla, I promise that I'll try and find you . . . Are you at your old house?"

"No . . . I don't have long, I really don't and I didn't call you to talk about me. I want you to promise me something . . ."

"Anything . . . What is it?"

"Whatever he says or whatever he threatens, please tell me that you will make sure nothing happens to Dempsey . . ."

"What's he said he's going to do?"

Before Carla had the chance to answer there was a heavy knock on the door and Carla turned the tap on to try and disguise what she was doing as Frank spoke. "Carla open this door right now . . ."

"I'm washing my hands . . ." she lied.

"I don't care what you're doing, open the door . . ." he shouted and Carla swallowed hard before whispering to Liam.

"Just promise me she will stay with you Liam, please . . ."

"I promise . . . Carla . . ." before Liam could finish, the door opened as Frank broke it with a heavy blow. He grabbed Carla as he entered and shook her so hard that she dropped the phone. As Frank turned to find what had gone crashing to the floor, Carla made a break to get out of the bathroom door, but as she ran out into the bedroom, Frank was hot on her heels and on reaching her, he pushed her down roughly so that her stomach was against the bed. Frank placed one hand against the top of her back to hold Carla down firmly as she struggled and writhed under him, he smirked and leaned down a little closer to speak to her, nipping the skin of her neck with his teeth after doing so. "I knew we'd end up back in bed but I didn't think it would be this soon . . ."

Carla was powerless to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks at his words, she continued to struggle against him though it was no use, his hold only got tighter. "Please don't do this . . . Why are you doing this to me?"

"You are my wife, Carla. You belong to me and I think it's about time you were reminded of that."

He twisted her hair around his hand and pulled her head back, causing Carla to cry out once more. His breath was hot against her cheek as he leaned over and forced his knee between her legs and pushed her harder against the bed.


	26. Chapter 26

There was a terrified cry that sounded down the phone before it was cut dead and Liam threw the phone out in front of him before letting out a frustrated cry himself. He sank to the floor in his bedroom with his back against the door as all sorts of horrendous situations and thoughts swam through his mind. He hoped that he could find Carla but with no idea as to where she was he knew it was going to be harder than he liked to admit. He turned after picking up his jacket only seconds later and opened the door heavily, turning to leave and go down the stairs and then to Carla's flat to try and find something that might give him a clue as to where she was. However, when he got downstairs he frowned when there was a knock at the front door. Liam made his way down the hall and opened the door to find a young man standing opposite him. He had wiry brown hair and he was fairly well built, a couple of inches shorter than Liam. Immediately Liam didn't like him although he was unsure why, he rubbed his lips together and tried to keep his voice as even as possible given everything that had gone on that day. "Hello?"

The man smiled, though Liam could tell it was forced. "Hi, Liam Connor right?"

Liam paused for a moment before nodding, suddenly starting to feel uneasy about the situation. He knew that there was something amiss but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. "Yes . . ."

"I'm Carla's cousin . . ."

Liam knew that he was lying and he wanted to beat the truth from him, but he waited, wondering if he could get some more information if he played along with what the man in front of him was saying. "Oh, Lucas isn't it?"

Danny bit back a small smile at the way things were going. He hadn't known much about Carla but that her brother was in prison and her mother was no longer around. He was new to working for Frank and he knew that if he could pull this off it would get him some major brownie points with his boss. "Yeah, that's me. She's asked me to come and pick Dempsey up from here and take her home." He stepped up to enter the house, but Liam's hand slammed against the wall to the side of him, his arm now blocking Danny's entry.

As Liam spoke the anger was coming off him in waves and Danny quickly understood just how big of a mistake he'd made in trying to take on the other man. Liam grabbed hold of either side of his jacket and slammed him against the wall before speaking. "Well, that's funny that, as I've just had her on the phone and the story she told me is much different to the one you've just told me. Now, I don't think that you need me to tell you whose word I'm taking as the truth, do you?"

"Get off me you nutter," Danny shouted, though Liam only held him tighter.

"Where is she?" he growled, his teeth gritted in anger and his knuckles turned white due to the strength of his grip on the other man.

Danny smirked "as if I'm going to tell you . . ."

Liam raised his fist as he held Danny with his other hand and delivered a powerful blow that knocked the shorter man to the floor. Liam couldn't control his anger any longer and tried to take out some of the frustration he felt on the other man. He hit Danny numerous times before he was pulled backwards. Liam struggled against the grip and on turning around he found Tom standing behind him, utterly shocked. "Liam, what are you doing, who is that?"

Liam turned around to find Danny stumbling forwards and running from the grounds of his house, he silently wondered how he had gotten into the place to start with and knew he would need to have a word with the people who he employed as security. He took a step forward to go after Danny, desperate to find out where Carla was and get her back as soon as possible. However, he was stopped in his tracks by the firm grip of his cousin on his upper arm. "Let go of me, Tom." he stated, attempting to shrug it off, though Tom wouldn't allow it.

"What are you playing at Liam?" he snapped, shaking his head a little as Liam turned around once more to find Danny leaving the gates of the house.

"You have no idea what you have just done have you, no idea at all." Liam shouted before shoving Tom roughly so he had to take a step back and by doing so. Let go of his arm. He then turned round and left the house, leaving Tom stood on the front shouting after Liam asking him where he was going.

Liam didn't answer as he walked off down the street, leaving his cousin both worried about him and baffled as to what he was doing. He wasn't sure where he was going to go but at that moment in time he needed to get out, he needed to get out and at least feel like he was doing something, anything, to try to get Carla out of the hands of the man that had already caused her so much pain.

Carla's insides contracted with pain, her knees were pulled up to her chest and the bed cover was draped over her frame loosely. Frank had left the room a couple of hours ago and Carla had forced herself to bathe. She knew that she couldn't lie in the clothes that _it_ had happened in and as much as she struggled to get around, it was something that she needed to do. Her hair was still damp but she hadn't the energy or the tools to dry it. Her hand was rested gently against her stomach as she wept softly into the pillow; her sobs were lodged in the back of her throat though she was fighting with herself not to let them out. She wasn't sure whether Frank was still in or not and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction if he was. Out of the window opposite the bed she could tell it was getting dark and she silently wondered what time it was. She felt like she had been there days but knew that in reality it was only hours. Carla was worried sick about Dempsey and whether Frank would get her, but she knew all she could do was hope that Liam had received her call before Frank had done anything so that he would know what he was planning.

The door handle clicked as someone put the keys into it and Carla swallowed hard. She knew that it would be Frank and it made her shake, she quickly wiped the back of her hand over her cheeks as she waited for the door to open and it was only seconds before it did. She bit down on the inside of her lip so hard that she could taste blood, she didn't want to cry in front of him but she was sure it would be easier said than done. She waited for him to make the first move and her stomach churned when he made his way closer to the bed she was laid on. In his hands he carried a bowl of soup, which was doing anything but helping how nauseous she was already feeling.

"Vegetable soup, I know you like it. Don't want to be giving you any excuses not to eat, do I?" he smirked and placed it onto the small table by the bed.

"I'm not hungry," Carla mumbled.

Frank shook his head and scoffed, "I wasn't asking if you were hungry Carla, I am telling you to eat this."

"No." She snapped and was pleased that her voice had seemed to hold much more strength than she felt.

Frank grabbed her arm and pulled her roughly into a sitting position on the bed. At the sudden movement pains shot through her lower stomach and it used what little strength she had left not to cry out. "I said, eat it." He tried to keep his voice even but Carla could tell by the way it shook slightly he was seconds away from losing his temper, again. Frank picked up the bowl and placed it into Carla's lap. She had little choice but to take it and as he stood to the side of her expectantly waiting for her to take a spoonful, Carla threw the bowl across the room over to the other side. Frank's hands clenched and he reached forward to grab her, causing her to flinch and brace herself. But, before any blow came, Rik's voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Boss . . ."

"What?"

"I need a word."

"Can't it wait?"

"Not really . . ."

Frank didn't answer Rik again but he did turn to Carla and spoke through gritted teeth. "You better have that mess cleaned up by the time I get back in here."

Carla didn't answer at what he had said; she had no intention of clearing the mess up though she knew better than to say that to him. She guessed he would find out soon enough anyway. After speaking, Frank stepped over the spilt soup and walked out of the door. He closed the door shut and Carla felt a flicker of hope when it clicked closed. However, the hope disappeared as quickly as it came when he twisted the handle to lock it. Carla's tears started once more and she nuzzled into the pillow, wondering if they would ever stop.

When Frank exited the room and locked the door he walked past the two men, leaving them to follow. Rik knew that Frank was going to go mad when they told he that what he had asked them to do hadn't happened. On arriving in the living room he closed the door heavy handily before turning to Rik and Danny. When he turned around he spoke, his tone even sharper than normal, still furious after what had happened with Carla only moments previously. "What's going on, why did you need to speak to me and why are you battered and bruised?" he questioned, aiming the last part of his sentence at Danny.

"I . . .urr . . ." Danny stuttered, but was interrupted by Rik. His first main job for Frank had gone even worse than he had imagined it might and he felt terrible about it. Not for what he had done or for what he had planned to do, but for not doing enough to impress the man standing opposite him.

"He messed it up," Rik informed Frank. "Connor had been warned and so he knew what he was up to when he got there."

"He caught me off guard," Danny mumbled, answering the question about the bruise on his cheek and his split lip before Frank had the chance to ask it.

"Get out." Frank snapped and Danny walked out with his head down, Rik had been about to speak when Frank did once more. "You as well and you better think of something between the pair of you to make sure that job gets done, and you can forget getting paid for it." He shouted after them, before slumping into one of the chairs with a large glass of Whiskey.

When Liam had left his house he had made his way to the flat that Carla had been staying, the flat that he had given her, the flat that she had thought she would be safe in. As he stepped inside he felt a surge of emotions rush to the surface and he hit the marble of the kitchen counter hard with his hand. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to find her? He closed the front door before making his way through into the bathroom where the door was damaged. On getting inside he found Carla's phone smashed into numerous pieces and it made him sick. However, he tried to convince himself that Carla had just dropped the phone, though deep down he knew that this wasn't the case. On getting into Carla's room he went through her things and he couldn't find anything until he got to the drawer in which she kept some of her nightwear. There was the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from underneath a silk nightdress and he picked it up. Scrawled onto the paper was the address of the house where Carla had lived with Frank before she'd met Liam and he knew just from the state of the writing she'd done it in a hurry. Carla had told Liam on the phone that she wasn't in the house she had previously lived in but given that was the only lead that he had, he guessed he would have to start there whether he liked it or not.

Liam put the crumpled piece of paper into the back pocket of his jeans before continuing through the flat. He couldn't find anything else that gave him any sort of idea as to where Carla was and he knew that some of her clothes were missing. He couldn't even comprehend how devastated that he would be if he lost her and as soon as the thought made it's way into his mind he tried to push it away as quickly as possible. Liam made his way back out into the living area of the flat and he bit down on the inside of his mouth as all of the emotions that he had struggled with since finding out that Frank had taken Carla came bubbling to the surface and a sob rolled from his lips. He kicked the door and turned before sinking to the floor with his back against it. He out his forehead to his knees as he pulled them up and cried. He cried for her, what she might be going through, for how he felt about the thought of losing her and her daughter.

_Where are you, baby?_ He thought, and in that moment silently vowed to do whatever it took to get her back.


	27. Chapter 27

Carla wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up, but she guessed it was early hours of the morning given the darkness of the sky outside. She was laid on her own and for once she was glad of it, she had felt so much more comfortable when Liam was with her, but given the situation that she was in now the only choice of company she had now was Frank and the thought of so much as breathing the same air as him made her feel nauseous. Carla swallowed, her throat feeling like sandpaper as she did, due to it being so dry. She hesitated for a moment before slowly getting up from the bed. She was unsteady at first but after a moment or two of standing still to allow herself to get her balance, she made her way into the bathroom. On getting inside she closed the door too and ran the tap. Carla turned on the tap and as the water poured she cupped her hand to catch some of it, before raising it to her mouth to slurp. She repeated the action a couple of times before making her way back to bed.

As Carla walked back through the bedroom, she frowned when she found that the part of the floor where the soup had been spilt had been cleaned up. She hadn't been the one to clear it up and she was almost sure that Frank wouldn't have been, so wondered what had gone on. Carla shook her head a little before getting back into bed, curling up into a fetal position underneath the bed sheets. Carla pulled the bed cover up to her shoulders, wanting to have as much of her covered as she possibly could have. She wondered whether Frank had gotten one of the people who had worked for him to clean the room, and though she didn't think it likely, it was the only plausible explanation she could think of at that moment in time. It made her feel comfortable to think that people had been that close to her and she didn't know. However, she would have rather it be one of them than the man who was legally her husband.

Carla thought about Liam and silently wondered what he was doing, she hoped more than anything that Dempsey was still with him and that she was taken care of. She knew that she would be much more comfortable with Liam and though she wished that she could give her a cuddle, she knew to get that opportunity she would have to take the risk of having Frank close to her and that was not something that she wanted. She wondered just how far the people who worked for Frank would go to impress him. Surely they would know what he was doing and she couldn't understand how they would think that it was all right.

Carla was snapped from her thoughts when the chords of a familiar song began to play quietly. She wasn't sure where it was coming from but guessed it was from one of the rooms nearby on the top floor. It was mere seconds before Carla recognized the music as the song that she and Frank had had on their wedding day for their first dance and she had to suppress a gag.

_"I could stay lost in this moment forever, where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure . . ."_

She was fairly sure that Frank was playing the song on purpose but she tried not to think about it. She silently wondered how things had gone so wrong. On her wedding day she had genuinely thought that she was going to spend the rest of her life with him and now, now she couldn't even bare to be in the same house as him. For a second Carla wished that he could have stayed as the man that he was, but, when the thought occurred that if he had she would probably have never met Liam, she knew that given her chances again she would still choose the same path, even just for a couple of nights with the man that she was head over heels in love with.

In the early stages of the relationship turning into an abusive one, Carla had wondered how someone could change so much and had begun thinking that the man she had married had completely changed in a matter of months. However, it wasn't long before it dawned on her that she had married the man that was causing her so much misery, he had just hidden it under a perfected act until it was too late for her to get out.

With her thoughts, it wasn't long before Carla fell into a restless slumber through sheer exhaustion with only nightmares of what Frank had done and what she feared he might do to keep her company throughout the night.

When it got to twelve o clock Jack had made Tom go to bed, the pair of them had been staying up waiting for Liam after he had ran off but he still hadn't shown. Barry had arrived back and asked about where his son was, but, they had fed him a story about Liam dealing with some trouble at work and that he'd then gone for a drink with some friends. Barry had gone to bed early and Jack found himself thankful that he hadn't had to tell the story more than once. Tom had gone to bed reluctantly and a couple of hours later, Jack was beside himself with worry as to where his grandson was and what was going on in his life to cause him to react as he had done earlier that day. Tom had filled him in with what had gone on, and the worry that laced Tom's voice made him know just how bad the situation was. Tom never worried and that he was worried Jack much, much more than he intended to let on.

Jack got up from the chair he had been sitting in when a key turned in the lock and walked out into the hall as Liam crept into it. "Liam Barrington Connor, where have you been?" he questioned, snapping a little more than he had intended to due to the worry he had endured over the night and into the early hours.

Liam jumped in shock, having thought that everyone would have been in bed when he arrived back. He had made sure the place was in darkness before he had entered the house once more but hadn't banked on someone waiting up for him. "Just out granddad . . ." he mumbled and frowned when the older man took him by the arm.

Jack led Liam through into the kitchen and nodded towards the table on getting inside. "Sit . . ." he ordered, before walking into the living room.

Usually, Liam would have made a comment about his grandfather's bossiness but wise cracks were the last thing that he was in the mood for at that moment in time. He was beside himself with worry and he couldn't even put into words the frustration he felt at having no idea where Carla had been taken. Jack arrived back in the kitchen only moment after, carrying two glasses of Whiskey with a generous amount in for the both of them. He placed them down onto the expensive wooden table before sitting opposite Liam. "What's going on son?" he questioned, "Tom told me what happened earlier . . ."

"He shouldn't have, you can do without worrying."

In the dim glow of the kitchen Jack frowned, hesitating for a moment before speaking again. "Have you been crying?"

"No." Liam mumbled, similarly to a stubborn child.

Jack sighed, "you know, I am going to worry more if you don't tell me what's going on . . ."

"I'm not sure you will . . ."

Jack frowned, "that bad is it?"

"Worse . . ."

"Please Liam . . ." he wasn't sure how much longer he could take not knowing, conjuring up situations in his head against his will and only making the way that he felt worse.

Liam swallowed and rubbed his lips together before swigging a mouthful of Whiskey from the glass in front of him. "Something . . . something has happened to Carla . . ." he managed, unsure how many more words he would be able to choke out before he couldn't speak and say it anymore.

"I was wondering why Dempsey was here . . ." Jack stated softly.

"She's married, and it's her husband that's taken her . . ." Jack found himself needing a drink of his own Whiskey and as he raised the glass to his lips, Liam continued. "She told me a couple of weeks ago what had happened between the two of them and it's not for me to tell you, but no one should have to go through what she has."

"I think I can probably guess what's happened." Jack stated, grandson's expression giving him an idea of what had happened to the woman who he had briefly met and grown quite fond of.

"She ran away with Dempsey without a word to him and he's found her, he's taken her away and I have no idea where she is." he was powerless to stop a sob from escaping as he spoke.

Jack sighed sympathetically. "You're in love with her . . ." he didn't need Liam to answer to confirm his statement but he did anyway, and a sad smile tugged at the corners of Jack's lips. He had known better than anyone that he'd been pushed into marrying Maria after she had fallen pregnant with their son and despite him being unsure of whether it was what he wanted to do, he had done it to try and do the right thing and please his parents.

Liam nodded and after a slight pause whispered, "do you think I'm a bad person?" He had always been close to his grandfather and he was so pleased that he had decided to visit with his parents. Though he struggled to show just how pleased he was given what was going on with Carla. However, he knew that Jack would understand and he hoped that he would decide to stay with him for longer, rather than it just be a flying visit.

Jack frowned, "why would I?"

"I'm married . . ."

"You're human . . ." Liam swallowed and was trying to think of how to answer his granddad when Jack spoke up once more with a slightly more light-hearted tone lacing his voice. He knew the time probably wasn't one for jokes but he couldn't stand his grandson being so upset. "Hey, if I was twenty years younger . . ."

A flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of Liam's lips as he answered. "About fourth and maybe . . ."

Jack laughed at Liam and raised his eyebrow a little, "all right there's no need for that." There was a slight pause before his expression fell serious once more and he spoke again. "What's happening to Dempsey?"

"Carla ran earlier, she must have sneaked his phone or something but she told me that he was trying to take Dempsey and made me promise to keep her here. The phone went dead and I was going to leave the house when the door went and when I answered there was a guy there, and I think Tom has probably told you the rest?" Jack nodded his agreement as Liam sighed and thought out loud. "I don't even want to think about what might have happened if she hadn't managed to get to a phone . . ."

"Hey . . ." Jack placed his hand over Liam's and leant forward a little before speaking. "Don't think like that, it's not going to do you any good and it's not going to help you find Carla. You just let me know how you need me to help and you know that I will. I want to find that poor girl too."

Liam nodded, "Thanks granddad . . ."

"You're welcome son. Now, are you going to let me tell Tom what's going on? He was worried sick and you never know, he might be able to help too . . ."

There was a moment's hesitation before Liam nodded at what he had asked, he knew that it had been unfair of him to just walk off and leave Tom worried without any idea as to what was going on. However, he had needed to get out of the house and had been desperate to try and find something that would lead him to Carla. He guessed that two people trying to find her would be better than one and if he was completely truthful he didn't want to do it on his own when there was an offer of help, though he would have if he needed to.

There was a couple of moment's silence between the two men before Jack spoke up once more. Liam could tell he was a little apprehensive as to what the answer to his question would be, and Liam knew that he could tell him nothing but the truth. "What about Maria?"

"I think deep down we have both known it's been over for a while, and now is the time to do something about it . . ."


	28. Chapter 28

The following morning, Liam had asked Jack to have Dempsey for the day while he tried to find out more about where Carla was. Little Liam had gone over to Michelle's after she had called Liam to let him know that she had the day off work and she wanted to take him and Ryan out. Liam was pleased of his sister's offer, knowing that two toddlers for his grandfather to deal with might have been too much and he really needed to go out. Jack had told Tom what was going on and why Liam had been so upset the previous day, and Tom had responded to the revelation by saying that he would help Liam find Carla and Jack hoped that between the three of them they would be able to do that sooner rather than later. Jack had taken Dempsey to the shop when she was dressed and had had her breakfast. He wanted to get her out of the house for a little while and try and keep things as normal as possible for her but given that Carla wasn't around it was getting increasingly difficult.

Dempsey toddled alongside Jack with her hand in his as they made their way to the supermarket. On the inside Jack was not only worrying about Carla and what was happening to her, but he was also worrying about the comment Liam had made the previous night about his marriage. With knowing how strong Liam's feelings for Carla were he knew that it probably was the right thing to do for him. But, he did wonder about what the reaction and the consequences would be of him doing so. He knew that Helen wouldn't approve but was unsure of what Barry's reaction would be, though he silently decided to be there for Liam whatever he did. He knew he wouldn't take a decision like that lightly and that he would find it hard, he just hoped that in the end he would make the right decision for himself.

Jack was pulled out of his thoughts was Dempsey spoke up from beside him. Although she wasn't, he couldn't help feeling like he was walking along the street with a grandchild. Aside from her Mother, Jack knew that she didn't really have anyone and he wished otherwise. He knew that Liam wanted to be there for both her and Carla but until he had spoken to Maria, Jack knew that couldn't happen properly. He silently hoped that Carla would be all right, though he couldn't seem to shift the uneasy feeling he'd had ever since Liam had told him the truth about what was going on the previous night. "I get some sweeties?"

"You can have anything you want sweetheart."

"Anything?"

Jack chuckled, "within reason."

"I get sweeties dis big?" she held her little arms out either side of her body as far as they would go and Jack laughed once more.

"Maybe, if we can find them that big . . ."

Dempsey nodded before turning to him once more. "Liam said I get my mama some sweeties?"

"Well then we had better buy her some don't you think?" Dempsey nodded and Jack continued. "Do you know what she likes?"

Dempsey nodded "magic stars, she steal mine."

Jack smiled, "well, let's try and get her an extra big bag then shall we?"

Dempsey nodded, "I get extra big jelly tots?"

Jack nodded "yeah. Shall we buy Liam some sweeties?"

Dempsey nodded, "an Tom? He funny."

"Why's he funny?"

"He pinch cake . . ."

Jack laughed "oh did he now?"

Dempsey nodded and then turned to him, bringing her finger to her lips. "But shh, we're not allowed to tell anyone."

Jack laughed quietly at her going against what she had been told, but nodded his agreement anyway and continued on the journey to the shop.

Frank made his way into Carla's room and called her to pull her from her slumber. Carla mumbled something incoherent and was of course unaware just who it was that was standing by the bed. Throughout the night she had woken up numerous times and struggled to settle, though it was hardly surprising given her situation. Frank placed the tray of food that he had brought with him onto the small table by the bedside before taking Carla's arm to shake her. Carla woke up quickly and she sat back, moving away from him.

Frank picked up the plate that was on the side and handed it to Carla who refused to eat it. "Here."

Carla shook her head, mumbling, "I'm not hungry."

Frank sighed and shook his head. "I haven't got time for your games Carla, eat it now."

"I've told you I don't want anything."

"I'll make this easy for you, you either eat this now or I will force feed you it."

Carla rubbed her lips together and shifted uneasily, sighing silently as she did so, she knew that she had no choice in the matter and could only be pleased that the toast was dry. Her stomach churned as she picked it up and it was almost like it was getting ready to reject the food before she'd even taken a bite. She nibbled on the edge and Frank smirked in a satisfied manner. "You cleaned the soup up too."

Carla hesitated for a moment, she wondered whether he knew that she hadn't and was trying to catch her out. However, she knew if she told him otherwise he would kick off anyway, so, she nodded. "Good, I think you might finally be understanding the deal here."

Carla scoffed quietly and as soon as she had she wished that she hadn't.

"Something to say?"

Carla shook her head, "no"

"No?"

"Nah, I wouldn't waste my breath."

Frank raised his eyebrow a little before dealing a heavy blow to Carla's cheek. "You need to work on keeping your mouth shut altogether."

The blow caused Carla to fall to the side, her arm now against the bed and the only thing that was keeping her from laying down flat. She grit her teeth together and swallowed hard, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her tears. She waited for a moment before Frank's phone rang, the sound alone causing her to jump. Before he answered he spoke and Carla found herself both relieved and terrified all at the same time. "I'm going out, but wait up, I'll be back later so we can spend a bit of time together . . . Alone."

Carla paled and Frank smirked, "don't even try it with the virgin act, Carla. You're not . . . Well, not anymore . . ."

Carla was almost sure that if she had had any food in her stomach she would have thrown up, but there was nothing there and for once she was glad of it. She said nothing and when the door closed she breathed a sigh of relief, despite door locking on the other side to make it impossible for her to get out.

Dempsey and Jack had arrived back at the house and after very little persuasion, Jack let Dempsey change into her pajama's. He had bought sweets for her, Liam, Carla and Tom and he only hoped that one day soon she would be able to give the sweets to her mother herself. When Dempsey toddled back to the top of her landing, Jack picked her up and took her back downstairs. "What do we do Granddad Jack?" Jack smiled, Dempsey had begun copying what Liam was calling him and he had no intention of correcting her.

"I don't know, sweetheart. What do you want to do?"

Dempsey shrugged, "I no know . . ."

"Shall we put some TV on?"

"D'cartoons?"

"Come on then . . ."

They'd only taken a couple of steps towards the living room when Dempsey gasped. "I forgot blankie and left Mr. Ted on his own."

She pouted and Jack chuckled. "Then you had better go and get them. Be careful on those stairs," he stated, allowing her to walk up them on her own, though made sure that he was behind her. However, before he could get to halfway up the stairs, the door was kicked off it's hinges and Jack turned around to find a tall, well built dark skinned man stood before him, his heart was hammering in his chest but rather than be worried for his own safety he was scared for Dempsey's. Something told him that the man had something to do with Carla's husband and he was unsure just how much he was capable of. "Who do you think you are? Breaking into this house like that, get out."

Rik smirked, "give it up old man. We don't want you getting hurt now, do we?" he patronized.

Jack took the mobile phone that he owned from his pocket and dialed 999. The phone was something that Liam and Barry had insisted he bought a couple of months earlier so that he had it if they ever needed to get in touch with him. As he dialed the number, Rik took a couple of large strides and closed the gap between them, and on reaching Jack he raised his hand to take the phone, only for Jack to move. He roughly grabbed him and wrestled the phone from his grip, and by doing so he caused Jack to lose his balance and fall down the stairs.

"I don't think so." Rik stated, turning and seeming to not care about Jack's awkward position at the bottom of the stairs he groaned and struggled to get up. Rik went after Dempsey who was trying to climb the remainder of the stairs and run off. She got to the top of the landing but before she could make a break for it, Rik's arm lifted her up and she began screaming. She wriggled against him to be put down but it was no use. It was then that she began to really panic, all of the people that she trusted knew that was her little signal to get down, but the man that currently had hold of her only tightened his grip. He smirked knowing that the job had been done and that he had impressed Frank once more. He stepped over Jack on getting to the bottom of the stairs, Dempsey still thrashing and screaming in his arms. He made his way to the door and was about to walk through it when it opened and a man stepped through was slightly taller and slightly broader than he was. "Put her down," he stated and his voice was low and dangerous.

Rik scoffed and shook his head, he attempted to step past him but Dempsey reached out and grabbed hold of his jacket. She was crying and it was quite plain that she was terrified. 'Dom . . ." she cried while Rik roughly moved her arms from the other man's jacket.

Dom knew that something wasn't quite right but he wasn't sure what it was that was going on. However, after the latest events he wanted to and he hoped that he would get the chance to ask him later. Dom reached out and tool hold of Dempsey gently and she clinged to him tightly, still twisting and moving to try and get free of Rik's hold. "If you don't let her go right now I promise you that you'll wish you had."

Rik wasn't someone that scared easily and his conscience and how he felt and acted towards people left a lot to be desired, which, was why Frank thought of him as such an asset working for him. However, at that moment in time there was something in him that told him the other man was being deadly serious with what he was saying and that if he wanted to get out he needed to go very carefully from that point on. The part of Rik that controlled his ego ignored the warning and he raised his eyebrow at Dom. "Oh really?"

Dom nodded, silently.

"What makes you think that you could get one over on me, you've no idea what I'm capable of pal." Rik smirked and Dom shook his head.

"You've made one huge mistake, _pal_." Dom stated, speaking the last word with more definition but with sarcasm dripping from every letter.

Rik found he was worried and shook his head at the other man before speaking up once more. "You might have come back a bit early this time but I will come back and your perfect little family won't come off as good next time." He spat. Dom took Dempsey from Rik immediately and he gave her a gentle cuddle to try and calm her down. He could feel her little heart hammering in her chest and he found himself wanting to wipe the last 10 minutes or so from her memory.

Dom made his way over to Jack and by doing so, he didn't notice Rik go into the living room for a moment or two before leaving the house altogether. If Jack hadn't been in a state and Dempsey hadn't been on the edge of being hysterical he knew that he would have gone after the other man and made sure he regretted even so much as stepping foot into the ground of the house, let alone doing anything else. On reaching Jack he helped him up and got him to sit on the stairs as he spoke to him.

"We need to get you to hospital, Jack . . ."

Jack shook his head. "Oh don't worry about me, I don't been to go there."

Dom nodded, "you do, and Liam would let me live it down if he came back and you hadn't gone. If you're so sure there's nothing wrong it shouldn't take too long, should it?"

Jack sighed, "you can be very persuasive."

Dom smiled and nodded, he was more worried about the state of Jack than he wanted to let on, and if he was truthful, Jack was a little worried about the pains that he was feeling from his fall. "Are you all right to go to the car?"

Jack nodded but stumbled as he got up and Dom made his sit back down. He put Dempsey down and took her hand and helped Jack with his other. Once the three of them were in the car and the house was locked, Dom started the car and put his foot down to get to the hospital as soon as possible.


	29. Chapter 29

Liam and Tom had been sitting in Liam's Bentley for numerous hours and Tom was beginning to get restless. He wanted to find Carla but he wasn't sure how much good sitting around stalking Frank's house was doing them. They had parked outside the house early that morning in the hope of catching Frank coming in or out and Liam's plan had been to follow him back to where he was keeping Carla. He knew that he was clutching at a rubbish plan but the feeling of needing to try and do something was overwhelming. It was beginning to get dark and there was still nothing. A young woman had walked in and out of the house a couple of times but that was the only sort of movement that had occurred. "I don't think this is helping . . ." Tom mumbled.

Liam turned to him with a frown, snapping more than intended. He was getting agitated too. However, it was due to Frank not turning up and feeling like he was doing nothing. "So what do you suggest, that we go back and forget she ever existed?"

Tom sighed, shaking his head. "No, of course I don't. But you don't even know who this guy is Liam, she has only ever told you about him. He could drive past us right now and we wouldn't have a clue who he was. Besides, I think we need more than just the two of us if this is going to work . . ."

"I will find her, I won't give up until she is back here and away from that bastard." he hit the steering wheel hard and Tom put his hand on his cousin's arm to attempt to calm him down.

"I am not saying that you will, all I am saying is that maybe we need to think this through a little bit more. I mean, he is probably going to know who we are, he seems like he's a real slimy character." Liam nodded his agreement and Tom continued, hoping that he was getting through to him. "If he turns up here and we're sitting outside the house, however hidden, and he finds out then he is going to know we're onto him and I don't think that's going to help Carla is it?"

Liam signed and tilted his head back so that it was against the seat as he shook it. He knew Tom was right in what he was saying but the last thing that he wanted to do was admit it and turn around and go home. However, deep down he knew that he was probably going to have to. "No, it isn't. But we can't just leave her there."

"I'm not saying that you should. I'm just saying that maybe we should get other people's opinions and try to go from there. He has planned this, there is no way that he has just magically found her, he's tried hard and he must have things set up, yeah? So, me and you playing heroes isn't going to work either is it? This has been planned to every last detail, so, we need to go back and talk and try and figure out how to get to Carla and out smart him . . ."

When Tom fell silent Liam swallowed hard and after a pause that felt much longer than it was in reality, Liam nodded, causing Tom to let out a breath of relief. "All right . . ."

Tom nodded and forced a small smile before answering him, "good man." He stated, before putting the keys into the engine to start the car. Earlier that day they had swapped where they were sitting so that Tom was driving. With how much Liam was getting worked up, Tom had quickly decided that him being in control of a very expensive and very fast car wasn't such a good idea.

After starting the engine of the car, Tom drove away for the house, completely unaware of the expensive black car with tinted windows that had been only a couple of meters away from them hidden behind some trees. Once Tom had driven around the corner, the man in the other car picked up his phone and dialed a very familiar number.

It took around an hour for Liam and Tom to arrive back at the house and once the car was parked in the grounds of the house Liam sighed and got out of it. Liam made his way to the house and was met by Dempsey running down the hallway, flinging herself at his legs before he had fully stepped inside. He frowned a little but picked her up, wondering if there was something wrong or if she just wanted a cuddle. "Hey trouble," he smiled, despite everything that was going on, tapping her nose gently with his finger. He knew that however bad he was feeling he needed to try and keep things as normal as possible for the little girl in his arms. He was about to ask her if she was all right when Dom came out of the living room and into the hallway, causing Liam to frown as he spoke.

"Liam, I think you'd better come in here. I've been trying to call you but your phone just kept going to voicemail, something's happened . . ."

Liam frowned and held Dempsey with one hand before taking his phone from his pocket, sighing. "It's ran out of battery that's probably why . . ."

"It's your granddad . . ."

Liam swallowed and stepped into the living room, gasping when he found Jack sitting on the couch with a cut on his head that had been stitched, a nasty bruise on his cheek, his arm in a sling and his hair messed up. "What's happened to him?" he asked, worry lacing his every word.

Dom opened his mouth to speak but Jack did first. "A man turned up, someone sent by Frank and I picked up my phone to call the police and ended up falling down the stairs."

Liam raised his eyebrow. "Fell or were pushed?"

Jack sighed, "it doesn't matter, there was a scuffle and then he left."

"What did he want? What did he say?"

Jack nodded subtly in Dempsey's direction, hesitating for a moment until he was sure that Liam understood what he meant. "He was just making threats but Dom came back and like I said, he left."

"I'm going to kill him." Liam spat, his jaw clenching as he tried to control the anger that was now cursing through him.

"What's going on Liam?" Dom questioned and Liam paused for a moment, trying to think about how to approach the situation.

"Get Tom to fill you in . . . I need to go and put her to bed. Then we need to talk . . ."

"What about Liam?" Jack questioned.

Liam shook his head; "he's staying with Michelle tonight."

Both Tom and Dom nodded as Liam headed out of the room with Dempsey. "Have you been in the bath sweetheart?"

She nodded "Dom plays ducks too"

Liam couldn't help laughing at her comment and raised his eyebrow a little. "Oh really?"

Dempsey nodded, "he told me."

Liam smiled and adjusted her t-shirt a little that had ridden up when he'd lifted her into his arms. On getting into the bedroom he pulled the bed cover back before putting her down and allowing her to climb in. As Dempsey got into the bed he walked over to the other side of the room and closed the curtains before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Dempsey rolled her head to one side in Liam's direction as he spoke. "Do you want a story?"

Dempsey nodded "yes please."

He smiled and waited until she passed him a book before beginning to tell her it.

It wasn't long before Liam returned downstairs and from the way that Dom was clutching a glass of Whiskey he guessed that Tom had told him everything that was going on. They turned around when Liam entered the room and after closing the door to he sat down in one of the chairs. "So, you know then . . ."

Dom silently nodded.

There was a moment's hesitation before Tom spoke up. "What are we going to do then?"

Liam sighed and shook his head, he chewed on his bottom lip before answering what he had asked, pleased that there was more than just the two of them with the knowledge of what was going on, hoping that between them they could think of how to go about trying to find Carla and bring her back to where she belonged.

Dom had some more of his drink before speaking up once more. "What do you know?" he questioned as Jack and Tom turned to Liam while waiting for his answer.

"She left an address for the house that she used to live in with him while they were married but she called me and told me that she wasn't there. The only thing we have is that and it's useless. Tom and me went there today and there was nothing happening and no one around. He could have taken her anywhere . . ." Liam sighed and had another large mouthful of Whiskey.

"I think I might know someone who could help . . ." Tom stated.

Liam frowned, "who?"

"An old school friend . . . He was a private investigator for years. I'm not sure if he is still doing it but I guess I could ask . . ."

Liam nodded at his cousin's offer and hoped that the guy would still be in the same profession. "Granddad, you just stay rested, I need to sort out security out and Dom, just do what you can to help . . ." he sighed. "I just feel so useless."

"It might just take a bit of time . . ." Tom tried to comfort.

"I don't want her with him for a second longer." Liam snapped, though he hadn't meant to take out how he felt on his cousin he couldn't help the frustration he felt at the situation.

Dom hesitated for a moment before speaking up once more. He hated that Liam was in such a state and he tried to change the conversation a little, even if it was only for a couple of minutes. I might be able to help you out where security is concerned, Liam . . . I have a couple of mates who are really good and have just been laid off from a long-term job and I think they'd be glad of some work. If you're interested that is . . ."

Liam nodded, "can you sort out some sort of meeting with them, and then, if I want to employ them will you let them know what's going on?"

Dom nodded, "of course I will."

Liam gave a small smile and nodded, "thank you . . ."

When Rik entered the house, Frank got up from where he had been sitting and walked into the doorway of the living room. "In here." Frank snapped and after closing and locking the front door, he walked through to the living room and closed that door too. "What's going on? Who was at my house?"

Rik shrugged, "I don't know who one of them was but he was with that Connor bloke."

"What were they doing?"

"just sitting, waiting, for you I would think."

He smirked, "so they are clueless. They have no idea where we are . . ."

"I wouldn't have thought so otherwise why would they be there and not here."

Frank nodded, a smirk forming over his lips before speaking once more. "So, where's the kid then?"

"About that . . ."

Frank frowned, "what about it?"

"Things didn't go to plan . . ."

"Stop talking in some kind of code and tell me what happened."

"I had her but before I could bring her out some bloke turned up. There was an old feller there and he didn't prove much trouble, if you know what I mean." He smirked and then continued, "but she was kicking off and then he turned up. So, it would have caused too much hassle if I hadn't got out of there straight away. But, I did get these." He held up the teddy and the blanket that he had taken out of the living room, not wanting to go back empty handed and though he knew that it wasn't what Frank wanted he hoped that it would be better than nothing.

Frank raised his eyebrow a little and reached out to take what he knew was Dempsey's. After a slight pause he gave a small nod. "I suppose this will have to do." he stated, hesitating for a moment before speaking up once more. "Get a photograph of the older bloke if he's in a bad way. It might be something else I can use to my advantage."

Rik nodded his agreement to his boss and then Frank spoke up once more. "You can go," he stated, dismissing the taller man. Once Rik had left Frank turned around and made his way upstairs in the direction of the room that he had Carla locked in, a small smirk playing on his lips as he did.

Liam, Jack, Tom and Dom were still in the living room discussing ideas of how to try and find Carla as quickly as possible. But given that they had no real leads as to where she was, they had decided all they could do was try to think of the possibilities and wait until Tom had spoken to his friend. Liam couldn't stand the thought of sitting around doing nothing, but after a gentle talking to from Jack who insisted that it would mean more to Carla for him to take care of Dempsey, rather than go charging around, he seemed to have settled a little. Silence had fallen upon the room for a moment, but Dom broke it when he thought aloud. "What I can't understand is how he found her . . ."

"After she told me what had happened I did whatever I could to make sure she couldn't be traced . . ."

"Like what?" Tom quickly questioned.

"I put her down on the books for a flat that she wasn't living in and in the flat she was in there was someone else's name there. She had changed her name when she arrived here, she was hours away from where she used to live . . ." he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head as he silently tormented himself with what if's and maybe's.

Before anyone else could answer in response to what Liam had said there was a quiet call from Dempsey and he got up without another word. It was only 9 o clock and he frowned whilst wondering why she was up and if she was all right. "Hey sweetheart," his voice was considerably softer than it had been when he had been speaking to the other men in the living room only seconds before. "What's wrong? Are my beds not comfy enough for you?"

"Mr. Ted gone?"

Liam frowned "I thought he was upstairs?"

Dempsey shook her head and as Liam reached the top of the stairs he picked Dempsey up and lifted her over the gate that stopped her from getting onto the stairs. He held her in his arms and then spoke, hoping his story would settle the toddler, though his story wasn't the truth he wanted to protect her from that at that moment in time. "I think your mama took him."

"But, but how?" she frowned.

"Well, you know she's had to go away for a little while?"

Dempsey hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Well, she couldn't take you with her so she wanted to take Mr. Ted to get cuddles from until she gets back to you . . ."

"When she come back?"

"I don't know sweetheart, but I don't think she could stay away for that long. She would miss you far too much, wouldn't she?"

"Like I miss mama?"

He nodded, "yeah, just like that. Now, should we get you back to bed?"

Dempsey shook her head and wrapped her arms around Liam's neck a little tighter. "No, I stay with you?"

"You shouldn't be up at this time . . ."

Dempsey placed her finger to her lips, "shh"

Liam laughed and then turned around to go downstairs with her, he walked back into the living room and sat down in the chair with her on his lap. Tom waved at Dempsey from across the room, pausing his conversation with Dom to do so and she waved back with a grin. Liam picked up his glass of Whiskey and had a drink. He was about to put it back down when Dempsey reached out to take the glass. "I have some?"

Liam moved the glass from her reach and shook his head. "Not of this, trouble, do you want some warm milk?"

Dempsey nodded "yes please . . ."

Liam got up once more, holding her on his hip as he walked into the kitchen to begin warming up a drink for her. They talked about nothing while they were waiting and in the living room the conversation about trying to find Carla continued after Dempsey had left the room. The boys all very worried about her too.

When Liam walked back into the living room with Dempsey the boys talked about nothing in particular but tried to keep things as normal for the toddler, despite all silently worrying about the situation. Dempsey was laid in Liam's lap with her back against his chest, drinking the milk slowly whilst chewing the teat of the bottle he'd put it in for her. She was getting more and more tired as he made gentle circles on her back and was about to drop off. However, just as she was about to settle once again the front door opened and a familiar voice sounded down the hallway.

"We're back." Maria stated cheerfully, and Liam couldn't have been less pleased about the return of his wife. Though he knew he needed to disguise it at least for a little bit longer.

Dempsey jumped as the door closed and woke once more, whimpering quietly, but before she could get upset, Liam pulled her into his arms and gently shushed her until she settled once more. He knew that it wouldn't be long before his wife and Mother re-entered the room and he knew he had to try and put on the performance of a lifetime to make sure they didn't find out what was going on.


	30. Chapter 30

Frank reached the top of the stairs and walked across the landing and down to the room that he had Carla locked in. He smirked and took the key for the door from his pocket before opening it. It swung open and Carla was laid on the bed in a fetal position. Carla had been massaging the back of her neck which was bruised from where Frank had held her down the previous day, in a vain attempt to soothe the pains that were in it. However, when the door was opened she stopped moving and her hand and fell still. On the side of the small table by the bed was the untouched pasta that he'd had Rik bring up for her a couple of hours previously. The door closed and Frank locked it before putting the key into his pocket once again. He sauntered over to the bed and Carla's breath hitched in her throat when it registered in her mind what Frank had in his hand. It was Dempsey's teddy that she took all over with her and her blanket.

Carla thought she was going to be sick and she wretched, putting her hand to her mouth. She swallowed hard and then pressed her lips together as she tried to control her feelings, not wanting to give Frank the satisfaction of know he had got to her, though she guessed he probably did. She bit down on the inside of her mouth and as Frank spoke she shook her head a little. "Why haven't you eaten that? What have I told you?" he snapped.

Carla sat up a little, though with her lack of eating she felt weak, the anger that was now pumping through her vains gave her some sort of strength to confront him. "Don't you dare, don't you dare come in here with those and then try and speak to me about eating."

He smirked and shrugged, "or you'll do what?"

Carla knew that letting her anger get the better of her wouldn't help her situation but the thought that Frank had Dempsey and he could do what he wanted with her made her feel sick. So, she tried to call his bluff, rather than think what she was. "You could have gotten those anywhere, it doesn't mean that you have her."

"do you really think that? Do you really think I would go to all of the effort to get these and then not get her?"

Carla swallowed hard, and though she didn't she decided to lie. "Yeah, yeah I do. If you have her then prove it, bring her to me or something . . ."

Frank smirked and put the blanket and the teddy into one of the chairs in the corner of the room before moving over to the bed, sitting down on it. Carla pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her knees. Frank leant back and Carla found her blood boiling at how relaxed he was coming across when she could do nothing to stop her body from trembling.

He decided not to answer what Carla had said, guessing that would get to her even more than if he had said no. "It's a shame really, Rik said some old feller was there. Said he tried to get in the way but he didn't give him too much hassle."

Carla's stomach twisted and churned. _Jack_, she thought, _what have you done?_ She wasn't sure whether she meant what had Jack done by being there or what Rik had done to him as a result by her latest thought but either way, it worried her. As she swallowed and fell silent, Frank knew that if she hadn't been convinced before then she was now. "Tell me, Carla, how would I know of this bloke if I hadn't had people round there. So, let's get a couple of things straight shall we?"

Carla hugged her knees more tightly to her chest and she swallowed hard at his comment, the time Frank spent in the room felt much longer than it was and the last thing she wanted to do was have a conversation with him, though she was sure she had no choice. Carla flinched when Frank moved to sit next to her and raised his hand to push her hair back, letting his finger trail down her cheek, onto her neck, across her collarbone and onto her shoulder. Carla dipped her head a little and allowed her hair to fall forward once more. To her it was almost like a barrier between them. Pathetic, she knew, but she also knew it was going to be the closest thing to a barrier she could get to that moment in time.

"You haven't eaten again." Frank's voice was cold and sharp as he spoke, Carla not doing as she was told was one of the things that angered him the most.

Carla stayed silent, it was not a question and it didn't need an answer. However, when Frank grabbed the back of her hair and roughly pulled her head back, for a moment she wished she had. However, she knew him well enough to know that either way the reaction she had gotten probably would have happened. Carla was powerless to stop a whimper from passing her lips at the action and was sure that if he pulled her head back any further he would do her some serious damage, something that she knew he didn't care about and was more than capable of doing.

"Now, you are going to eat that pasta and you are going to take very careful note of what I am going to say. I don't intend repeating myself, do you understand?"

Carla nodded and Frank pushed her forwards as he let go of her. Sitting with his back against the top of the bed and his legs stretched out in front of him. Carla sat forwards and was about to get up when a hand clamped down on her arm to stop her from moving anywhere. She swallowed hard and silently hoped that he wasn't going to kick off again, she hadn't gotten over his outburst only moments before and she knew she would never get over what he had done before that. "Where do you think you're going?" he questioned.

Carla tried to steady her voice but it was no use, she couldn't disguise the terrified undertone not matter how hard she tried. "I . . . I was just going to warm it up . . ."

He smirked and shook his head a little. "Nice try. Sit down, it's already been done for you once and it was your choice not to eat it."

"I can't eat it cold."

"You'd better."

Carla grit her teeth together to try and control the emotions that were threatening to take over her once again and sat back, pulling her knees up once more as she lifted the bowl from the table onto her lap. Carla took a small forkful of the food and nibbled on it. She silently hoped he wouldn't make her eat the lot, but she couldn't be sure of that. Her stomach churned, almost like it was getting ready to reject whatever food she tried to give to it. There was silence in the room for a couple of minutes, and it was only broken when Frank spoke once more, causing Carla to jump at the sudden noise.

"Now, you better do as you're told regardless of what I ask you now. You know I have Dempsey and trust me when I say that I won't think twice about hurting her if you decide that's you're going to carry on like you have been for the past couple of days."

"I haven't done anything."

He raised his eyebrow, "do you want me to give you a list."

Carla shook her head and had a little more of the food in front of her. "No . . ."

"I'm sick of you sitting around in those pajama's, there is a bag down there with some stuff in." Carla nodded and Frank raised his eyebrow, noting the bruises that still lingered on Carla's wrists from his attack on her the previous day. But, instead of feeling disgusted by them he found himself pleased that they were there and to him it was like they were marks to prove that the woman sitting next to him was indeed his and it just confirmed to him how much he did not want to let her go. "Aren't you going to thank me?"

"Thank you . . ." Carla mumbled, only due to his comment rather than feeling like she should or wanting to.

Frank scoffed at her comment and Carla forced down the mouthful of food that she'd been chewing on. "No . . ." he shook his head to emphasize the word before continuing. "I mean thank me . . ." though Carla fully understood the suggestion behind his words she pretended not to.

"I just did."

"No you didn't." His hand fell to her thigh but before he had chance to do anything Carla jumped up off the bed, causing the bowl that had been on her lap to go crashing to the floor. Frank's jaw clenched in anger as he leaned across the bed, grabbing Carla's top as she was about to run into the bathroom. She struggled against him but it was no use, she made to grab the door but he pulled her backwards seconds before her hands could reach anything to hold. She stumbled, her strength no match for his and it made her want to weep, she swallowed hard and continued to try and fight him but, soon enough she found herself roughly shoved against the bed like she had been the day before and the shakes she had became much more violent. Frank twisted Carla's hair around his hand and pulled it tight, pressing his knee into her hip causing her to cry out.

"Please stop it . . . Please let go . . ."

"No."

"I didn't mean to . . ."

"This isn't about your clumsiness Carla, it's about so much more than that and you know it."

Carla struggled a little more, though she could barely move with his weight on top of her. She cried out once more when he twisted her arm up her back and pains shot through it. She couldn't stop her tears for any longer and her free hand gripped the bed cover tightly, so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Please . . . Please don't do this." she begged, "I'll do anything you want . . ."

"I want this, you know you make out like I shouldn't want you. I am your husband and you're my wife. It's my right, it was the day we got married." his breath was hot against her cheek and on finishing his sentence he bit the skin of her shoulder. Carla moved sharply and Frank raised his eyebrow a little. He was about to speak when Carla moved her free hand to hit him hard, though she only got the chance to do it once, despite wanting to do it more, before he pinned that arm back too. "You're really not understanding the situation here, are you? You have no choice in what happens and if you want to keep _our_ daughter safe then you will do as you're told and if you care about her as much as you claim to then you will."

Carla was furious at his reference to Dempsey as their daughter, he had done nothing to help care for her when they had been together and even less since. She knew he did it to wind her up and it had worked. "I care about her more than you could imagine, more than you could ever hope to care about anyone in your life."

"Well I must care about you quite a lot, to go to all this trouble."

Carla shook her head, "you don't care about me Frank you just want to own me."

"Which I do."

She struggled against him once more, only to be pushed down into the mattress harder. She bit back another cry and swallowed, trying to steady her breaths that were coming in short, sharp gasps. As soon as the words had left her lips Carla regretted them but she wanted to hurt Frank. "You know, she never once asked about you when we left. Not once." she spat and though she knew she couldn't be sure whether it would have the desired effect on him, she couldn't help but try.

Frank's jaw clenched and after a couple of seconds he shrugged. "Why would I care? I can't say I missed having a screaming toddler around. If she had been a he however, things might have been different."

"You evil bastard, how can you say that about her?" she screamed though her voice was muffled from being pushed down against the bed.

Frank ignored what Carla had said and continued with a comment of his own. "But that might become a reality soon enough. You know, I always wanted a boy Carla and I intend making sure that I get one." His hand fell to her side and Carla tried to shift subtly, though it didn't work. He held her firmly and leaned over to her so that he was even closer. As he spoke his lips brushed her skin and it made her want to vomit. It didn't matter which was she turned her head there was something uncomfortable happening and she was slowly losing hope of ever being found, though she had only been there a couple of days. His hand trailed underneath her t-shirt and regardless of how much she squirmed she couldn't stop it travelling up, and as he spoke he leant in closer. "While we're on this topic, keeping Dempsey out of harm's way shall we say . . . Something else you can do is stop laying there like some cardboard cut-out, it's really rather boring . . ."


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey everyone. :-) I know it's been a long time since I last posted on this story. I sort of gave up with it a little bit after the last couple of chapters I posted only got a couple of bits of feedback, I thought people were losing interest. Not that I didn't appreciate it, but yeah, I hope you get what I mean. Since I haven't been posting people have left little bits which was really nice of you all. So, I'm trying to get back into it. I hope you enjoy this, please let me know what you think.**

After Maria had put her things away and had a bath, the rest of the house had gone to bed and Liam was sitting in the kitchen waiting for her to return so that he could talk to her. When she walked into the kitchen Liam forced a small smile in return to her's. He hesitated but before he could speak, she did.

"Are you ready to go to bed?" she walked around to the chair that Liam was sitting in and placed her hand on the back of his neck gently, he sighed quietly and despite not wanting to hurt her feeling's he knew that he couldn't carry on like he had been when he cared so much for another woman.

Liam shook his head a little before answering, "I wanted to talk to you . . ."

Maria frowned and moved away slightly, letting her hand drop back to her side as she did so. "What about?"

"Us two . . . Our marriage . . ."

"What about our marriage?"

Liam stood up from where he had been sitting, the scraping of the chair along the floor breaking the silence that had descended upon the room. He walked over to the door and closed it, knowing that things could quickly get out of hand and he didn't want everyone else knowing what was going on until he decided to tell them. "I think . . . I think we need to be apart . . ."

Maria's jaw dropped a little and she shook her head. It took her a moment before she managed to speak up in answer to what he had said. "No . . . No we don't. We are married Liam we have a son."

He sighed and nodded, "I know, I know we do and don't think that I have taken this decision lightly. I have thought about it and thought about it but I think that in the long run it needs to happen . . . For the both of our sakes . . ."

Maria wiped the back of her hand over her cheek roughly as a tear fell down it. She swallowed hard and then spoke to him with a hard, cold tone to the edge of her voice. Liam found himself pleased that he son wasn't there so he wouldn't know what was going on between his parents at that moment in time. "Is there someone else? Have you been with someone else?" she screamed, stepping closer to him on getting to the end of her sentence.

Liam sighed and for a moment contemplated lying to her but he knew that in the long run that it wouldn't do either of them any good, so after a long pause, he answered. "yes . . . Sort of . . ." He mumbled.

Maria lashed out at him, curling her hands into fists as she pounded his chest with blows. Liam grabbed her arms to stop her and held her still. Not enough to hurt her but just enough to restrain her from lashing out again. "Maria please, I know that I don't deserve this but I want to tell you what happened, I don't want you to think things were something they weren't or anything like that just please let me talk . . ."

"No, no you don't deserve the chance to talk to me." she snapped, shaking her head a little before pushing Liam away from her.

He let go and sighed quietly, he had known that things were by no means going to be easy but he knew that it needed to be done. "I am sorry . . ."

"For what? For being caught."

He shook his head. "I wasn't caught Maria, I told you . . ."

"Oh I'm supposed to be grateful for that am I?"

"No, of course not, I'm just saying . . ."

"Who is she?" Liam opened his lips to speak but before he had the chance to get any words out, Maria spoke again. "Don't even answer that . . . It's her isn't it, I know who it is. That little slapper you claimed was working for you but really, it was just a cover for your sordid little affair behind my back."

"It is Carla, yeah. But, things weren't like you're making them out to be."

"Did you sleep with her here?"

Liam didn't answer, he knew that what he had done was wrong and he didn't want to hurt Maria anymore than he had to. However, she didn't seem like she was going to give up and he guessed in the end he would have little choice but to tell her.

"Answer me . . ." she shouted at him.

He sighed, and then nodded.

Maria choked on a sob before managing to force another question out. "In our bed?"

"No, no of course not . . ."

Maria raised her eyebrow, "of course not? What? Am I supposed to just assume you wouldn't do something like that, only I thought that you wouldn't go behind my back but you have. I didn't think you would pick some piece of council estate scum over me but you have."

"Maria please . . ."

"Where?"

"What?"

"If it wasn't in our bed, where in this house did you _fuck_ her?"

Liam was taken aback a little, he wasn't used to her swearing but he guessed that if she was going to then it would probably be in a situation like the one that they were in at that moment in time. "The spare room," Liam mumbled.

"When?"

"After the party I held for the people I worked with, you'd gone away."

"I know when it was," she snapped.

"I'm sorry . . ." he sighed. He wasn't sure how many times he had apologized to her over the last couple of minutes but he knew it was a lot. He was sorry for what he had done in going behind Maria's back and hurting her but he wasn't sorry that what had happened with Carla had, he had never felt about anyone the way he felt about her and he didn't think that he ever would again.

"I want you to go."

He shook his head. "No, I know what I have done is wrong but this is my house."

"Then I'll go and I'll take Liam with me." she snapped, raising her hand to hit him hard across the cheek. "You horrible, cheating bastard." she spat, before going to step past him and out of the door. However, Liam put his hand against the door to stop her, shaking his head a little.

"Maria you can't just walk away. I know what I have done is horrible and that you probably hate me right now but we need to talk about things. We have a son together and if you won't do it for me then do it for him. I don't want us splitting up to cause him more disruption than it needs to . . ."

"Well then you should have thought about that before you went behind my back. Your son, you know you go on like you are the world's best dad but when it came down to it getting your end away was more important to you."

"Nothing, nothing is more important to me than that boy Maria. Do not try and make out like I don't care about him, you know that isn't true."

"Isn't it?"

Liam grit his teeth together for a moment before speaking up again, he hadn't wanted things to get nasty between them but he supposed that really he should have guessed that it would. "I don't care about him? I've lost count of the amount of times that you have jetted off to all over the place without a second thought for him so that you could have a break as you like to call it, though what from I'm not sure, you don't do anything while you're here."

"how dare you, how dare you speak to me like that."

Liam sighed, "I'm sorry all right, I just want to sit down and talk about this like adults. I want to try and sort things out as soon as possible for Liam's sake if nothing else."

"Why, so you can get back to that little tart? What is it about her that is so irresistible."

"We really don't need to get into this conversation."

"What if I want to?"

"You don't, you're just angry and rightly so. Now, are you going to sit down and speak to me?"

"No, I am not. I am waiting for you to tell me what a stupid mistake you've made. You know, going with her, you ought to get yourself to the clinic you're probably riddled with diseases."

"You know, talking like this just confirms that I don't want to be with you and why. You know nothing about her."

"Don't try to make out like this is my fault and she is the victim, you are the ones who cheated on my remember. She is a filthy little home wrecker and I hate her guts."

"She didn't force me into bed, Maria. Don't blame all of this on her."

"Oh . . ." she stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Playing hero now are you, how very sweet. Well you can think what you want about her but one day you will find out just what a huge mistake you've made by doing this and just so you know, you won't have Liam, if I have anything to do with it you will never have anything to do with him ever again. I don't want her playing happy families with my son."

"I know you are angry with me Maria, but you know as well as I do that taking him away from his father won't be what's best for him. Now I know that you're upset and all the rest of it but if you go through with this it will cost you a lot of money and don't think that I don't fully intend fighting for him. We don't need to do that, I think we could sort it out between ourselves."

"I don't want to sort anything out with you."

"I know, but I think you're going to have to. It's not like we can just never speak to each other again however much we might want to."

Maria raised her arm to hit him once more, taking the comment completely the wrong way however, Liam took her arm to stop her and shook his head a little. "You have hit me more than once and I know I have deserved it, but, you can't just keep lashing out."

"You deserve that and so much more."

"Maybe, yes. But that isn't going to get us anywhere, is it?"

"You know you can throw all of the money you want at lawyers but I am that boys mum and I think that gives me the advantage, don't you? I intend getting every penny that I can from the divorce as well, so you go off with her, but don't come running back to me when it all goes wrong." she shouted before opening the door, letting it slam off the wall before she walked up the hall and then the stairs.

Liam walked forwards before sitting down at the table that was in the kitchen with a heavy sigh, he swallowed hard and then sat back in the chair. He jumped when the door slammed moments later and he wasn't sure where Maria was going to go but if she had been being reasonable then he would have had no problem with her staying However, it had been her decision to leave and he didn't have the energy to stop her. He jumped once more when the voice of his father came from behind him. _I really don't want to have to deal with this now_, he thought. But, he knew that he would probably have very little choice in the matter.

He turned around when Barry spoke and all that was in his tone was confusion. "Liam, what's going on, where is Maria going?"

"We've finished dad . . ."

Barry's jaw dropped and after a moment of trying to understand what he was being told, he walked around to sit down opposite his son. "I think you need to tell me what is going on, don't you?"

Liam nodded his agreement and took a deep breath before trying to tell his dad what had gone on. He told him about the problems in his marriage, the girl he had met, how he had fallen for her and what had happened to her at the hands of her ex. Instead of being angry, Barry put his arm around his son and promised to do whatever he could to help him.


	32. Chapter 32

**I can't thank you all enough for the feedback that was left on the last chapter, it really was lovely. I'm pleased you seem to still be interested, I thought I would post another chapter after all of the lovely things that you said yesterday. So, here you go. I hope you enjoy this. :-)**

Tom wasn't sure what time it was, but it was early when he felt little hands pulling his bed cover down. He frowned and smiled to himself when he found Dempsey standing at the side of the bed trying to use the cover to clamber up. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her onto the bed so that she was sitting at the side of him. When he moved his arm she climbed over him so that she was sitting on his chest. She prodded his cheek and he pretended to bite her finger causing her to laugh He would have had a couple of more hours in bed but something told him that the little girl wasn't ready for some more rest. So, he sat up a little and raised his eyebrow as Dempsey spoke.

"We get food?"

Tom nodded, "We can't have you going hungry can we, and I think that Liam has some chocolate chip muffins downstairs. How about we go and pinch one before anyone else gets up?"

Dempsey chuckled and nodded, "yeah but we no tell anyone?" she made a zip gesture with her finger against her lips.

Tom laughed and shook his head, "No, we'll just blame Liam."

Dempsey laughed once more and after pulling a t-shirt on, Tom made his way downstairs with her and then into the kitchen. He frowned when he found Liam sitting in the chair wearing the same clothes that he'd had on the previous day. Deciding not to get into a conversation about what was going on while Dempsey was there, he made his way over to the kitchen counter while Dempsey moved over to Liam after Tom had put her down onto her feet. "You need snuggles?" she questioned after he'd lifted her into his lap.

Liam nodded "I think I do sweetheart, yeah."

Dempsey wrapped her little arms around his neck and placed her head against his shoulder for a cuddle. He let a flicker of a smile tug at the corners of his lips and brought his hands up to return the cuddle.

"What do you want for breakfast curls?" Tom questioned, his new nickname for her making Dempsey laugh.

"mmmm, chocolate toast?"

Tom nodded and smiled, turning around to make what she had asked. After doing so, Tom poured her some milk into the beaker that was on the side. He placed them in front of her and she began eating while he made himself and Liam a coffee. It was only seconds after doing so Jack walked into the room and spoke. "I'll have one of them if you're making son."

Tom nodded and after making the drinks he brought them all over to the table. It was only moments after sitting down Jack could tell that there were things left unsaid between the two boys and once Dempsey had finished eating, he had another mouthful of his coffee and spoke. "Shall we go and get you in the bath Mrs, you're covered in chocolate?

"Wif the bubbles?"

Jack nodded, "if you want to."

Dempsey let out an excited squeal and hopped off Liam's lap, running over to Jack to take his hand and pull him out of the kitchen and down the hall to the stairs. Liam smiled at her and then sighed when then had stepped out of the room. Tom moved so that he was sitting opposite Liam. "What's going on?"

"What isn't?"

Tom raised his eyebrow. "So you're telling me that nothing else has happened since last night?"

"No I'm not saying that . . . me and Maria have finished."

"You are joking?"

Liam shook his head and sighed, pressing his lips together for a moment before speaking up once more. "No, it finished a long time ago and I want to be with Carla."

"How did she take it?"

"How do you think?"

He sighed, "Who else knows?"

"My dad, I'm guessing granddad knows too, he wouldn't have taken Dempsey for a bath before he'd had his breakfast if he didn't."

Tom smiled an a little and nodded in agreement before speaking up once more. "So if Baz knows, does that mean your mum knows?"

"Not yet, he said he'd tell her."

"I'd hate to be in your shoes when he does."

Liam nodded in agreement and sighed, shaking his head a little. Tom wondered what to say for a moment and all he wanted to do was make his cousin feel a little better. So, he spoke up with the only thing that he hoped might work. "I've arranged a meeting with Marc for today"

"Oh, when for?"

"Half 11."

"Thanks Tom . . ."

"You don't have to thank me." Liam gave a tiny smile and then Tom spoke up once more. "What are you doing today?"

"I've got to go into work, I need to get some things for Dempsey and pick Liam up from Michelle's. I want to meet you later on if you're having that meeting today. I think Dom is arranging a meeting with his two mates who he suggested for security too."

"Are you not taking Dempsey to nursery?" Liam shook his head and Tom frowned. "Why not?"

"Well that's the perfect opportunity for them to take her, isn't it? If she is in there the teachers can't make sure she is where she should be all of the time and I promised Carla that I wouldn't let anyone take her, and I intend keeping that promise."

"Why don't you call the police Liam, they might be able to help."

"No, they're useless. I think we should wait to find out what your friend says before we make any decisions like that. He isn't playing by the book and I don't think we can afford to either."

Tom nodded his understanding before answering Liam once more. "I think I'm going to go and get ready but once I've spoken to him I'll try and call you and find out what you're doing."

Liam nodded and Tom turned and left the room.

An hour later, Liam had made Jack sit down and rest after he'd got Dempsey ready for him. He was managing with his injuries but it didn't stop him worrying. Dom had called his friends and told them to come to Liam's place around 12 and had told Liam that he would stay in the house with Jack so that he wasn't on his own. Dempsey ran down the hall to Liam who picked her up and span her around before holding her on his hip. "You're feeling very energetic this morning."

"I 'ad baff."

Liam smiled "I think you have a bit of an obsession with my baths, don't you?"

Dempsey laughed, though she had no idea what Liam was saying to her. The door went and Dempsey turned to Liam when the bell sounded. He noted that she was panicked and ran his hand over her back gently, the anger coursing through him once more as he remembered what would have caused such a reaction in her.

"Who dat?" Dempsey whispered.

Liam ran his hand over her back in a soothing manner and shook his head a little. "Hey, don't panic sweetheart. I've got you all right?"

She nodded and Liam walked over to the door to answer it. He sighed quietly and raised his eyebrow a little when he found Maria standing opposite him. Her blood boiled that he had Carla's child in his arms, but, she swallowed and hesitated for a moment to try and calm herself down before she spoke. "I wanted to talk too you . . ."

Liam nodded and opened the door to allow her inside. "Just give me a minute."

Maria nodded and Liam walked into the living room where Jack and Dom were. "Can you sit with her for a little while. Maria's here and I need to speak to her."

Jack hadn't been told what had gone on but after his chat with Liam a couple of night's ago he had worked it out for himself. He immediately nodded and held his arms out to Dempsey who reached for him. "You can sit here with me sweetheart."

Dempsey nodded and on sitting by Jack on the couch she pointed in the direction of the Tv. "Horsies?"

Jack nodded, "yeah, they're racing."

"Who wins?"

"We don't know yet, but we want the man in yellow to."

"You have a bet on Jack?" Dom questioned.

Jack nodded "it would be a shame not to really, wouldn't it?"

Dom laughed and nodded his agreement before sitting back in the chair. Once he knew Dempsey was settled, Liam walked back out into the hallway and gestured to the kitchen with a nod of his head. "Should we?"

Maria nodded and walked along the hallway and through to the kitchen though she couldn't help making a snide comment. "Left you with her brat has she?"

"You know when you came here asking if we could talk I assumed it wouldn't be for another argument."

She sighed, "I didn't. It's just all a little convenient if you ask me."

"But I didn't ask you and I don't want to discuss it with you. If you want to talk feel free to sit down and I'll make you a drink, if you don't, just leave."

Maria hesitated for a moment and Liam silently wondered whether she was going to just walk away. However, she sat down slowly and he gave a small nod before walking over to make a coffee. He hesitated for a moment before turning around to take the drinks over once they were made. Once he had sat down, Liam spoke, genuinely meaning what he was saying. "I am truly sorry for what's happened Maria."

"If you are so sorry then why are you doing this?"

"I haven't taken this decision lightly and I am not doing it out of wanting to despite what you might think. I am not apologizing for falling for Carla, I don't regret that. But, I am apologizing for going the wrong way about it and for you getting hurt."

She wasn't really sure of how to respond so settled for a nod. She knew getting into another row would get them nowhere and the carefully conducted plan she had created last night wouldn't allow for it either.

"Do you mind if I speak first?" Liam questioned, and Maria shook her head after taking a slurp of her coffee. "Now, I know this is horrible and if it could have been done in a nice way I would have. But, I don't intend leaving you with nothing to get on with things. I want you to visit Liam a lot and be able to live like you are now, I think that's only fair, as this was my decision. You find a house near here and I'll buy it, I'll get you a car and I will pay you more than enough money a month to live on and take care of Liam when you have him."

"Why would you do all of that?"

"You're the mother of my son, why wouldn't I? I'm not completely horrible Maria, regardless of how you feel at the moment."

"I thought you hated me . . ."

"Of course I don't hate you."

A flutter in Maria's stomach let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips, though she had a drink of her coffee to disguise it. She hesitated for a moment, shrugging gently before speaking once more. "You have a funny way of showing it, you choose someone who can't even do an office job over me?"

Liam frowned, "what are you talking about?"

"A simple telephone order, she couldn't carry that out like she should have. I mean, I don't think it was that hard but yet she messed it up."

Liam paused for a moment, remembering what Maria was referring to. Of course he knew what had happened as he had been in the office that morning when Carla had been worried about what she had or hadn't done and the machinists who worked for him were kicking off about having no material to work with and using the excuse to have a go at her about it. Liam's jaw clenched, he had never told Maria about what had happened, knowing that she would do what the factory workers had and use it as an excuse to have a go at Carla. Therefore, the only way that she could have known about it would be if she had been involved and the thought made his blood boil.

"I never told you about that." He stated, his told cold and sharp.

"Of course you did . . ." she hesitated for a moment and stuttered slightly which told Liam that his thoughts about what Maria had done were spot on. "I mean, how else would I have known if you hadn't?"

Liam raised his eyebrow a little. "Why don't you tell me?" He waited for a moment and when Maria didn't answer, Liam spoke up once more. "You vindictive little cow Maria, what did she ever do to you? Were you jealous of her from the off or something."

"I didn't like her and it turned out that I had good right not to, doesn't it?" she shouted.

Liam sighed; he knew that he had probably been hoping for far too much when he'd hoped there wouldn't be another argument between them. "You know what, just get out. I meant what I said but apart from that I don't want to speak to you."

"We need to arrange when I can have Liam." If she could have, Maria would have gone to lawyers but she knew that it would cost her a lot of money, and though her parents would pay for it for her she knew that with wouldn't come out with anywhere near what Liam was offering her.

"A Sunday and a Monday night."

"Two nights, is that all? My parents will want to have contact with him too."

Liam couldn't help but silently wonder why she was going on as she was. While they were together she hadn't thought twice about leaving their son for a couple of weeks at a time. He guessed that it was to try and get at him, though he was trying to do what he could to stop that from happening. "I'm not stopping you from taking him on holiday. But, four of the nighty's I have him he is at nursery so I want at least one day at the weekend where I can take him out or whatever. If there's something you really want to do that means changing the deal then that's fine but, just let me know."

Maria nodded, she knew there was very little that she could do now, especially as Liam was being so reasonable but she didn't intend giving up. She turned around and walked up the hall, Liam following a little way behind her. On getting to the door Maria opened it and turned around to Liam, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "So I could come and get him on Sunday?"

Liam nodded, "yeah . . ."

Liam wasn't sure what happened in between but the next thing that he knew, Maria's lips were on his. He took a step back and put out his arm out to distance himself from her, shaking his head a little. "What are you playing at?"

"I wanted . . . I thought . . ."

Liam threw his hands up at his sides and shook his head a little, not allowing Maria to say another word before he spoke himself. "You thought what? I just told you that we were finished and you thought I wanted that?" He shook his head a little once more indicating that he didn't understand her and she sighed.

"I don't want this, us, to be over."

"I'm sorry but I do . . ."

"But . . ."

"No buts, I don't know what I've done to give you that impression Maria, but I am furious. It's sick that you would do some of the things you have and say some of the things you have. You threatened to take my son and get whatever you could out of the divorce. Now, I know what I have done was wrong but you're not innocent are you?"

"You promised me that you'd never bring that up again."

"No, I didn't. I told you that I'd forgiven you for it, that was all."

"I kissed someone, I didn't sleep with them."

"It was still cheating. Now, I know this isn't what you want but I think this needs to happen for us both in the long run. I meant what I've said, that I will try and do things as right by you as I can for Liam's sake but that's all."

Maria didn't say or do anything in response to his comment for a moment, but after a couple of seconds she turned around and walked down the path. She was furious and he could tell, though he hoped that would be an end to it. However, what he didn't know was what Maria was thinking of. She didn't intend letting him go without a serious fight and intended to find Carla Donovan and do something about what had happened. Liam was her husband and she wanted to do whatever she could to make sure he stayed hers.

Jack walked across the land at the front of Liam's house with Dempsey and frowned as Maria passed the two of them. When they were close enough, Liam spoke, before Jack had the chance to ask him how things had gone. "What are you two doing, I thought I told you to keep her in?"

"We only went to the shop don't panic, this little Miss wanted some chocolate."

Dempsey held up a large packet of milky stars. "Got deese."

Liam smiled "can I have one please?"

"Pretty please?"

Liam nodded "yeah, pretty please . . ."

Dempsey offered him the bag and Liam took it rather than just taking one. He grinned at Dempsey who gasped before holding her hand out. "You steal dem, give dem back"

"They're very nice . . ." he teased, eating one of the sweets.

Dempsey ran at him so Liam ran away slowly, though they were halfway down the hallway when Dempsey went crashing into his legs, wrapping her arms around one. "Caught you, dey mine now."

Liam smiled "Oh all right then . . ." he gave her the sweets back and laughed as she ran through into the living room where Dom was sitting. Jack walked back through into the house and smiled in Liam's direction at his interaction with the toddler before speaking up. "Why don't I go and pick Liam up from our Michelle's, I think you'll have enough on your plate today."

Liam nodded and gave a small smile. "Thanks granddad."

"You're welcome son."

As the door closed, Liam an Jack were completely unaware of the man who had walked around the trees at the far front of the land of the house. He was pleased the broken fence hadn't been fixed as Liam had asked it to be the previous day, and even more pleased with the images that he'd gotten on his camera. He strolled back to where his car was parked a little way from the house, guessing his boss would be very pleased with his work that day.


	33. Chapter 33

**Thank you once again for all of the feedback. This chapter has parts that I think would be M rated, so if you're easily upset or offended stop here. I hope you enjoy. :-)**

Tom was sitting in a local bar while waiting for his friend Marc, he had called him to say he was going to be ten minutes or so late, so after getting the beers in Tom was just sat down waiting for him. He knew that there was a chance that his friend wouldn't still be in the line of work that he was but he was hoping that he would be. He didn't like to think that anyone was in the situation Carla was and though he didn't know her he knew that he wanted to help if he could. He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there, but Tom turned around when his name was called. He let a small smile pass his lips when Marc joined him at the table. After sitting down, he spoke. "Thanks for the pint mate."

Tom gave a small smile "You're welcome mate, it's been a while."

"Tell me about it, I think we need to have a couple of days in the pub to get caught up."

Tom laughed and nodded his head in agreement. "Oh tell me about it . . . I did have a motive for asking you to come here today though."

Marc nodded, "what's that?"

"Well, I don't really know what I need to be asking for with this. But, there is a situation and I thought that maybe you could help with it." Marc frowned and when he didn't reply, just nodded, Tom continued though was a little unsure of how to tell him what was going on. "Well, it's my cousin, this girl he knows left her husband a couple of months back and he's taken her . . . But we have no idea where to. So, given the job you're in I thought that you might be able to help . . ." Marc nodded once more and Tom frowned. "You do still do it don't you?"

"Yeah, sorry mate . . . Taken as in kidnapped her?"

Tom sighed, "Yeah, and she could be anywhere . . ."

"All right, now of course I'll help you if I can, Tom. But, I'm going to need more information than your brother's friend has been taken by her ex husband before I can do anything."

Tom nodded, "Yeah, of course you do. But I need to tell you that there's not much that we know."

"Just tell me what you do . . ."

Tom nodded, "Well I don't know that much about her but our Liam should be able to tell you more. All I know is that he took her and we thought that she was a the house she lived in when they were married but she managed to call him and told him they weren't there."

"What's this guy's name?"

"Foster."

Before Tom had the chance to continue, Marc interrupted. "Not Frank Foster?"

Tom frowned and then nodded. "Yeah, how do you know?"

"He's upset a lot of people and he's involved in a lot of dodgy things. I've come across his name a couple of times in work but he's a slippery bastard and he'll go to some mad lengths for things he wants. If this girl married him, it could be harder that either of you imagined to get her back."

Tom sighed, pushing his hand over his hair frustratedly. "We can't just leave her there."

"No, I'm just making sure you're ready for a fight. If I know one thing it's that Foster will give us one. Now, I will do what I can but my wife's just had a baby so, I can't say I'll get things done as quickly as I once might have been able to."

"Congratulations mate, if I'd have known I would have never have asked . . ."

"If you want me to put you in touch with someone else I could maybe try to find someone?"

Tom shook his head, "No, I don't think there will be any need for that. As long as you're sure that you don't mind, I mean there's only so fast someone can go when trying to find someone else isn't there and I think we'd prefer having someone that we know and could trust. It's not something we want to be taking any chances with."

Tom nodded and hesitated for a moment before speaking up once more. "Can I take you to meet Liam?"

Marc nodded and finished off his pint as Tom called his cousin.

Liam walked into the factory holding Dempsey on his hip. She wasn't in nursery as Liam decided that it wasn't safe given what had happened over the past couple of days so with Jack resting and Tom busy he knew that he had very little choice but to take her with him. He didn't mind though, he quite liked it but he was just hoping that her mum would be back sooner rather than later, for both of their sakes.

On their first break, the people who worked on the machines sewing were gathered in the kitchen like area talking about the news that Fiz had arrived with that morning. "What do you thinks' happened then?"

Fiz shrugged "I don't know, Maria came around really upset last night though so he must have done something. Said he threw her out."

Sean's jaw dropped. "Threw her out, it must have been one huge row."

Fiz nodded her agreement while Hayley sat awkwardly, she didn't get involved nor did she want to. As far as she was concerned it was Liam and Maria's business what went on in their marriage. She was far more worried as to where Carla had gone, she hadn't been in work for four days and there had been no word from her or Liam as to why.

"I wonder if there was someone else involved . . ." Beth thought aloud.

"That's not really Liam's style is it?" Sally questioned.

She shrugged. "I don't know. I think if it was offered to him he'd be one of them that thought he could get away with it."

"I always thought there was something going on between him and that Carla." Sally sated.

Beth gasped, "Come to think of it, she hasn't been in since then . . ."

"She's been off for longer than that . . ." Hayley stated, hoping to diffuse the situation and the gossip. "I'm sure Liam and Maria will sort it out, and I'm not sure that you all talking about it would be appreciated by either one of them.

"No, you're right Hayley, it wouldn't." Liam stated from behind them. All of them turned around as soon as he spoke and Hayley couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed at being caught gossiping by there boss. "Has anyone else got anything to say?" There was a pause before the people sitting in front of him began to shake their heads slowly. Liam nodded once before walking into the office and it was apparent to them all how something was wrong. However, they assumed that it was due to the breakdown of his marriage when it was in fact worry for the woman who he'd ended his marriage for.

Liam walked into the office with Dempsey who had her head nestled into the crook of his neck, she was tired and as much as he wanted to leave her at home to go to bed. He didn't like the idea of her being there without him. He ran his hand over her back in a soothing manner but when he walked into the office Dempsey sat up a little pointing to a photograph that was on the desk Carla had been using before Frank had taken her. "Mama with Dempsey?"

Liam nodded and stepped forwards to let the door close behind him. "Yeah . . ." he whispered, a soft smile passing his lips at the photograph, Carla and Dempsey with their arms around each other smiling. It was adorable.

"I sit in mama's chair?"

Liam smiled and nodded, walking around the desk to put Dempsey in the chair. She sighed quietly and leaned over to pretend she was typing on the keyboard of the computer, even though it wasn't turned on. Liam took his phone from his pocket and took a photo of Dempsey before picking up a couple of files that he needed. He didn't intend staying in work all day, he had hoped that Hayley could cope with things, they had more than enough orders to keep them going for around four months so he hoped that she could keep on top of them. Liam held his hand out to Dempsey who frowned.

"I playing . . ."

"No sweetheart, we have to go now."

"I get stawberry milk?"

Liam smiled and nodded, leaning over to pick her up once more. "Oh go on then."

Dempsey wrapped her arm around his neck as he headed out and after a quick word with Hayley he left. As soon as Liam stepped out of the door, Beth turned around, continuing the conversation that had been started before Liam had walked in. "He's taking care of her kid while she's swanned off out of work, You can't tell me there's nothing going on thee."

"He might just be doing Carla a favour." Hayley tried to reason.

"Yeah, a favour that she's paying for in kind, I bet." Fiz spat, shaking her head before continuing. "You know, I always thought that Liam was all right, I never thought that he would do this to his wife and his son."

"What's she going to do?" Sean questioned.

Fiz shook her head and sighed, "I don't know, I've told her that she can stay with me as long as she needs to."

He nodded and there was a moments silence before Hayley spoke up once more. "Right, break's up, I think it's about time we all got back to work." her comment was met by sighs and mumbles of disapproval as the group got up and made their way back to their machines.

Carla was laid on her side in the large bed in the otherwise bare room. Her knees were pulled up and her hand was laid softly against her stomach. The other was curled into a fist at her chest as she tried not to think about the pains that were shooting through her body. She wanted some more painkillers but no one had been in her room for hours. It was something that she was pleased about, not having to worry whether she was going to have another vicious assault forced upon her, especially when she hadn't gotten over the previous one. Though she couldn't deny that a break from the physical agony she was in wouldn't be welcome. A small sigh passed her lips, she was exhausted but she couldn't seem to rest.

On a night she struggled to settle as it was but even then, at every little noise or possibility of someone moving around she would violently shake and her heart would race. She chewed gently on the inside of her mouth, something that she always did when she was anxious or nervous. She had been in the bath earlier that morning to try and soothe the dull ache in the pit of her stomach, it hadn't really helped but she had been willing to try almost anything. Carla had been trying to settle in the bed once more but when the door lock went, indicating someone was putting a key into it, she forced herself into a sitting position despite the pain in her stomach. As Frank stepped into the door Carla got up from the bed and made a dash for the bathroom door. However, he grabbed the back of her top as he had done the day before so she didn't have chance to get through the door. He pulled her backwards towards the bed, "Don't even think about it. I want to speak to you." He growled.

Carla stumbled and found herself sitting on the edge of the bed while Frank stood in front of her. "What about?" she mumbled.

He smirked and handed her two photographs, not saying a word, guessing they would speak for themselves.

Carla took the items that she was passed and on turning them over she put her hand to her mouth, her complexion going even paler than it had been. There was a pause before she spoke, stuttering as she struggled to get her words out. "H . . . How did you get these? What have you done?" her voice turned into more of a shout as she asked her second question and it caused Frank to smirk at getting the reaction he wanted. He had wanted to wind her up.

Frank shrugged, "what needed to be done."

"It didn't need to be done, you have battered him there was no need for that. He has never done anything to you, your problem is with me, not him."

Frank shrugged, "He got in the way, it was his own fault."

"No, it was the thug that works you's fault, and yours." She flew up from the bed and raised her arm to hit him, but her caught her arm mid-air before she could. "You evil bastard."

Frank pulled Carla to him so that her back was against his chest and tightened the hold his had on her to stop her from moving. "You haven't said much about the other one," he smirked.

"I've got nothing to say to you."

He smirked, "it would seem that your precious little boyfriend doesn't care about you as much as you thought he did. I mean, why would he? He has a ready made family there, why would he want to throw all of that away for you?" he laughed, "she's pretty, clean, classy, the mother of his child . . . You, well, you're damaged, tainted. You might be all right for a quick one, but you're not someone who one wants to make their girlfriend. You should have stayed with me, Carla, I'm the only one who'd ever have you but you had to go and mess that up didn't you? You silly, silly girl."

Carla filled up and she and she tried to shrug him off. "Get off of me."

Frank didn't move though, and she was sure that he was even stronger than she remembered. "When I'm ready. You know, you've really lost you're manners since you've been with that Connor bloke. I think you need to be reminded of them."

Carla let out a strangled cry, at the same time as shaking her head. "No please . . ." As his lips found their way to her neck she shuddered and tried hard to suppress a gag when he pushed himself against her from behind so that she could feel his arousal. Despite her struggling Frank held Carla still and she was powerless to stop yet another vicious assault. She had been hoping that Liam would find her but after the photographs that Frank had brought back with him, she was beginning to doubt whether he was even trying.


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you all once again. :-)**

A month later Carla was still stuck in the same room with the same man causing her torment. She had only been eating the food in left in the room for her when she had been forced to by Frank and due to that she had lost a lot of weight, too much. Her ribs showed and each bone in her spine protruded through her skin, she had a serious lack of energy and found herself tired almost all of the time. She sat up and swiveled her legs around to get out of bed and go into the bathroom, wincing at the dull ache between her legs as she did, one that never seemed to go away. She had lost all of the fight she'd previously had and still each day a little bit more was knocked out of her. She had given up hope that she would ever be found and she was just waiting for either herself or Frank to die. The only thing that kept her going was by knowing that doing, as he wanted kept her daughter safe. She would have been lying if she'd said that she had never thought about ending it all herself, but the knowledge that Dempsey would be left in Frank's hands was the one single reason that stopped her.

Frank had been away for a couple of days and Carla hoped that it would be a trip that he was on for the long-term. However, she knew better than to get her hopes up and she knew him well enough to be sure that that wouldn't be the case. He had her there for a reason and it wasn't to spend the majority of time away from the house that she was locked up in.

Carla forced herself up on the bed, biting down on the inside of her mouth to stop her tears as she stood and carefully made her way into the bathroom. Frank had taken the lock off the door after she had locked herself in there to get away from him a couple of weeks previously. It was something that she didn't want to be reminded of, though everytime she stepped into the bathroom where the broken lock hung from the door, she was.

Michael, was a tall guy of 25, he had dark hair that was short but always styled with a little gel. He was well built due to working out a lot and was often described as a gentle giant by the people that knew him. He had worked for Frank a while, and had now had the job of making sure Carla was where she should be at all times. He had been in the house helping out a little when Frank had first brought Carla there but now he didn't really do any other jobs but that one for him. He was working for Frank, purely due to needing money for the sake of his family. Knowing this, Frank had taken full advantage of it and had gotten him onto the books. Michael was nothing like Frank despite working for him, he had only been working with him for a couple of days when he had found out the type of man he was and he hated him for it. However, none of the jobs had effected him more than this one and knowing what he was doing to the girl in the room he was standing outside of made him sick to the stomach and he would have been lying if he'd have said that he'd not thought about trying to get her out of there himself.

Balancing the tray that he had in one arm he knocked on the door before opening the lock to step inside, giving her at least some warning to his entry. As he stepped inside he felt his heart shatter, it was the first time she had been up when he had gone into the room, usually he would jut leave the food on the side as she lay in bed. But, at that moment she was standing at the other side of the bed to what he was and he noted how thin she was, how tiny she seemed, the panic that etched her expression and how she shook. Carla clutched the towel that she had wrapped around herself so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"I'm sorry . . ." Michael stated sympathetically.

"I need to get dressed . . ." Carla mumbled before stepping back into the bathroom so quickly she almost fell down the step. She put on a clean pair of leggings that had been folded neatly in the chair that was in the corner of the bathroom and though she didn't know it at that moment in time, it was Michael that had done that. He had also cleaned up the soup she had spilt on one of the first nights after she'd arrived and though he didn't know it he had prevented Carla from having to deal with the wrath of Frank once more. She then picked up a loose white t-shirt and pulled it quickly over her head.

Outside of the bathroom, Michael walked around the bed and placed the tray on the small table by the side of the bed, silently worrying about Carla. She was so thin, it was like her legs were going to snap from under her and with having qualified as a doctor a number of years ago he knew that it was not at all healthy for her. Michael sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. How was he going to get her to trust him enough to speak to her? The thoughts of helping her and trying to get her out of the house were in his mind once more, she was a young girl with a young child that had been taken from her and at that moment was getting tortured day in day out by her husband.

Carla stepped out of the bathroom and her breath caught in her throat on finding that Michael was still in the room. She had thought he would leave her the food he had made and then leave again. She swallowed hard and pressed her lips together slightly before folding her arms over her chest defensively. Though there was something about Michael that told her he wasn't like Frank, she couldn't bring herself to relax around him.

"When was the last time you had something to eat?" Michael questioned softly.

Carla's defenses came up immediately and there was a sharp undertone to her voice as she answered. "When was the last time that you brought food in here?"

"Yesterday evening . . ."

"Then you've just answered your own question."

Michael raised his eyebrow a little before shaking his head slightly. "I'm a doctor Carla, I know that's not true."

She bowed her head a little and swallowed hard, would he tell Frank?

Almost as if being able to tell what she was thinking he reached out to place his arm tenderly on her arm as he stood, but let it drop back to his side as she flinched and quickly took a step back towards the wall. "If you don't eat Carla it won't help how you're feeling."

"What, so a little bit of toast could help me is that what you're saying?" she scoffed.

Michael shook his head, "No, of course it's not, but not eating is only doing you harm . . . At least have your orange juice?"

Carla hesitated for a moment and though she might not liked to admit it she knew that he was right. She reached out and picked up the glass of orange, using the straw to drink it. The horrific bruises on her wrists made Michael want to beat Frank so badly that he would be eating and drinking out of a straw for weeks. "You're a doctor . . ." Carla whispered, it was a statement and a question all rolled into one.

Michael nodded, "yeah, I qualified a couple of years ago now."

Carla hesitated for a moment before speaking again, shaking her head in confusion. "Then why are you working for him, you're not like them?" she wasn't sure why she added the second part onto her question, but it was almost like she needed the reassurance of what she had though.

He let a sad smile tug at his lips and shook his head, "no, no I'm not. But, I need to do this job, I need the money . . ."

"As far as I know, doctor's don't get paid minimum wage . . ."

Michael shook his head, "no, they don't. But unfortunately I need the money that Frank's paying. Wouldn't be here if I didn't have to be, trust me."

"Why?" The question tumbled from Carla's lips before she had the chance to stop it and while she knew that it was none of her business she found herself interested in what the answer would be.

Before Michael got the chance to answer his phone rang and he sighed. "I've really got to get this . . ."

Carla nodded and when Michael left the room she shifted back to the bed to sit down, unsure how much longer she would have been able to stand when her whole body was aching. She raised a trembling hand before taking another drink of the orange juice she was holding, sighing after swallowing it.

Liam and Tom walked back to the house after a meeting with Marc and were talking about what he had told them. They were met just outside of the door of the house where Jack had been playing with Dempsey. As he turned around, Jack picked Dempsey up and walked over to where Liam and Tom were to find out what had happened. He had known where they were going and was hoping as much as they were that the man they were going to meet could help them. He hadn't known Carla for too long but what he did know of her he liked and he hated to think about what had happened to her. "So, how did it go?"

Liam subtly gestured to Dempsey with a small nod of his head. "What had you been doing, Mrs?"

"Play football"

"Oh, your my kind of girl," he smiled.

"We went and did a bit of shopping too, didn't we?" Jack stated and Dempsey nodded.

"Got stickers"

"Why don't you go and get them to show me?"

Dempsey grinned and when Jack put her down she ran off into the house. Once she had ran through the hall Jack turned back to Liam and Tom. "So?"

"Well, we're further than we were this morning but he has already told us it might be harder to find her than we first thought."

"Why?"

"He's a bastard." Tom stated.

Jack raised his eyebrow, "well you didn't need to tell me that son." Jack would have usually told Liam and Tom off for swearing but at that moment in time he thought that even that word was too good of a one to use when describing the man they were discussing.

Tom let a flicker of a smile pass his lips before speaking again. "He told us who that guy was who came here and for Liam to try and think of anything he could that might give us a clue as to where they are."

"So we're supposed to just sit tight?" Liam almost smiled at his grandfather's use of the word "we're" but given what they were talking about he couldn't manage it. Instead, he settled for nodding his response. Jack frowned, "well what about the police then?"

Liam shook his head, "no he told us not to tell them anything either."

Jack frowned, shaking his head in utter bewilderment. "Why ever not? Surely they could help?"

"It would seem some of them are not bothered by what he does as long as they receive their backhanders from him every month and it would only take on of them being assigned to this case and we're screwed, we'd never have her back."

Jack pushed his hand over his hair and sighed, his frustration etched into his expression. "Well what are we supposed to do we can't just sit here while he has that poor girl there."

"What about the phone?" Tom questioned, turning to Liam as he spoke.

"What phone?"

"You said she called you, can't we track that phone?"

"Don't you think I've thought of that? It's been cut off, dead."

Before either Tom or Jack could speak again Dom made his way over with two guys that Liam didn't know. He frowned and shook his head a little before stepping towards them. "What's going on?"

"You know you wanted other people in for security . . ."

Liam nodded, "on right . . ."

He shook both of their hands and introduced himself before taking them into the side room of the house where he conducted a lot of business and it was only moments after he disappeared that Dempsey ran out of the house, waving a packet of stickers around. She stopped mid run and frowned, pouting a little when she found that Liam was no longer standing where he had been. She shrugged and threw her arms up a little. "He gone? Liam gone like mama?" her bottom lip began to tremble and Dom stepped forward and picked her up.

"Hey, Liam has just gone to talk to someone and your mama hasn't left you. She's just had to go away for a little while."

"Too long, miss her . . ."

"I know you do, but she should be back soon." Dom bent down and picked Dempsey up, holding her at his side.

"How you know?"

"I'm Dom, I know everything."

Dempsey frowned, "not everyfing?"

Dom nodded "yeah . . ."

"So, who Peppa's brofer?"

Tom bit back a laugh and Jack smiled at the interaction between the two of them, both pleased that Dom had managed to curb the conversation to avoid Dempsey from getting upset, though Jack silently wondered how long it would be before they had to answer some serious questions about where Carla was.

Dom paused for a moment before speaking again, "all right, everything apart from who Peppa's brother is . . ."

Dempsey laughed, "I know more dan you . . ."

"About Peppa Pig I think you probably do darlin'', yeah."

"George"

Dom frowned, "hey?"

"Dat's his name"

Dom smiled and nodded "oh right . . ." He gestured to what Dempsey was carrying as he next spoke. "What's this?"

"My stickers want to show Liam."

"Well, while you wait for him why don't we go and get a cake and you show me?"

Dempsey smiled and nodded "yeah"

Dom kissed the top of her head before walking back into the house with her, Tom and Jack following behind them. They didn't know but all three of them were worrying about what would happen to Carla and that if what Dom had told Dempsey were right.


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello everyone, it's taken me so long to update this fic I just seemed to have had no time what so ever. It is ridiculous, I'm considering another one which has also been distracting me when I can't even write this as much as I think I should be. I hope you're still interested as I know there's been a rather big gap between the last chapter to this one. I just want to say a huge thank you to the people who left feedback on my last chapter, it really helps with motivation, I really appreciate it. But, now onto something not so nice. I got a PM from some letting me know that someone had been stealing fic, I won't say who it was but a huge thank you to them too otherwise I wouldn't have known. A user named VictoriousGlourious has been copying the chapters I have uploaded, changing character names then passing the story off as their own. I just want to say that I have never given anyone permission to do this. Anyway, I just wanted to make that point. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, feedback is appreciated. :-)**

It got to around 5 o clock and Michael made his way upstairs to the room that Carla was staying in carrying a tray of food for her. He hoped that she ate some more that night but couldn't be sure she would. He knocked gently on the door before opening it and stepping into the room, offering her a friendly smile as he did so.

"Chicken soup tonight, I've had it for my tea too and it was lovely."

"Is it really?"

Michael smiled and nodded, "yeah, really."

"I've never really been a big fan of soup . . ." she mumbled.

"This might change your mind."

Carla hesitated for a moment before taking the tray and placing it on her lap. Michael was about to turn and walk out of the room when she spoke up once more and the comment made him smile again. "You can stay . . . If you want to . . ." She wasn't sure why she had said it, but she didn't find herself as nervous in his presence and if she wanted to make sure that Dempsey was safe, she knew she needed someone to help her. She immediately trusted him somewhat and it came as a shock given that the only real contact she'd had with anyone was Frank, someone who she hated more than anyone else in the world at that moment in time.

Michael was shocked at the comment but he couldn't deny being pleased about it and he took a step back from the door, nodding. "I wouldn't mind the company to be truthful."

"Well then sit down."

Michael walked over and sat down on the chair in the room before gesturing to the food on Carla's lap. "Tuck in, I want to know what you think . . ."

Carla frowned and dipped the spoon into the bowl before tasting it. After a small pause, Michael raised his eyebrow as Carla nodded. "It's all right . . ."

"Just all right?"

Carla gave a small nod and while Michael wanted to push things further he knew that to do that would only stop Carla from eating anymore. So, he just fell quiet and hoped that she would eat more than she was. He was surprised she was speaking to him, though couldn't deny that he was pleased about it. He wondered whether it had anything to do with Frank being away, her being a little more open, but he pushed that thought from his mind almost as quickly as it had entered. Everytime he thought about Frank he wanted to lash out and he could only hope that he could control his temper once he got back from his business trip. As far as Michael was concerned he couldn't even call himself a man and if he had anything to do with it, he would get what he deserved for what he was doing to Carla. He was pulled from his thoughts when Carla spoke once more. "What were you saying before?"

"When?" Michael frowned, shaking his head in confusion.

"When we were talking before your phone rang . . ."

"About why I work for Frank?" at Carla's nod, he continued. "I told you, for the money . . ."

"Why do you need all that money for?"

"My brother is in debt, which he was paying back from working himself and it was gradually going down. But, the people who he was in debt to sold that debt to someone that Frank knows and the interest alone is more than he could hope to earn in six months, let alone pay back weekly."

"Why was he in debt?" Carla whispered,

"Him and his wife were struggling to conceive and they were trying IVF . . . Only, it was more than once."

"Did they have a baby?"

Michael sighed and shook his head sadly, "no . . . she got pregnant, but she lost the baby after a couple of months . . . Each time they had it it just made them all the more desperate for a child and things got out of hand . . ."

When a silent tear drop fell down Carla's pale and heavily bruised cheek, Michael moved to sit on the edge of the bed. The way she flinched at him moving anywhere near her made him feel guilty, but he decided against mentioning it. "Hey . . . Don't get upset."

"Sorry, I . . . I can't help it."

"If I had known I'd have upset you I wouldn't have said anything . . ."

Carla swallowed hard and brushed her cheek gently with the back of her hand. "It's just sad . . . Are they still together?"

Michael nodded, "just . . ."

"So you wouldn't be here if you didn't have to pay back his debts?"

"Do you really need to even ask that?"

Carla shrugged gently and shook her head. "I guess not . . ."

When Carla fell quiet once more, Michael let a small smile form over his lips as she ate another spoonful of the food on her lap before placing it onto the table by the bed. While she hadn't finished it he was pleased she had eaten more than she had been. It was quiet between the two of them for a moment longer before Michael spoke up once more. "How old is your daughter?"

Carla thought she would have been upset at the question and while she was upset at the thought of how long it had been since she had even so much as spoken to her daughter, his use of the word _your_ pleased her. "She's two and a half . . ."

Michael smiled, "Dempsey, isn't it?"

Carla nodded "Dempsey-Rae."

"What's she like? Tell me about her . . ."

"Why?"

"Don't you want to talk about her?"

"I do . . . I just wondered why you were asking,"

Michael shrugged "I don't really have a reason . . . Call it making conversation . . ." Of course he did, but he didn't want to say what it was. Though he knew it would be difficult, impossible even, Michael was trying to take Carla's mind off what had happened and the only way he could think of was talking about her daughter. He smiled when the silence between them was broken by her again.

"She's beautiful, cheeky, she has so much personality, she's loving and kind. She's perfect . . ." Carla whispered, before swallowing hard at the emotions that threatened to rise to the surface once more. She thought that she was just about keeping things under wraps until Michael reached out and wrapped his arm around her. Carla's first reaction was to fight him off but at his whisper of "It's just me . . ." she burst into tears once more and brought her knees up to her chest, dropping her head forwards a little. She wasn't someone that trusted other people too easily and she found herself quite wary of people she didn't know, but at that moment in time Michael was the only person that was there and she desperately needed someone.

Michael was sure that his heart shattered in his chest when Carla broke into tears and at her next statement, it only made him feel worse. Whether he liked it or not he had been a part of keeping her there and it was at that moment in time he decided that he needed to help her get out, regardless of what Frank's reaction would be towards him. "She will think that her Mum, the one person that's supposed to be there for her and protect her has just abandoned her . . ."

Michael sighed and shook his head a little before speaking up in answer to what she had said. "I'm sure she wonders where you are, but I don't think she'd think that of you Carla . . ."

"How do you know?"

"You're her world."

"I let him take her . . ."

"You couldn't stop him . . ."

"She's two years old, Michael. She won't understand that. All she knows is that I've gone and dumped her with Liam."

"You know, I don't think she'll care about the what's or the when's I think the only thing that little girl will care about is having her mum back . . ."

"He won't even let me speak to her . . ." she sobbed, shaking her head a little. "I could be doing what he wants for nothing, I don't even know if she's all right . . ."

"I think you would know if she wasn't . . ."

"Would I?"

Although he wasn't sure that would be the case, Michael knew better than to admit that to Carla, especially with how fragile she already was. So, he nodded, "I think you would, yeah."

"I need to get her away from him.."

Michael sighed and fell quiet, he had no idea where the child was, but what he did know was how much the woman sat beside him was suffering, mentally, physically and emotionally. There was a couple of moment's silence between them before Michael spoke again and as he spoke Carla felt a slight spark of hope. "I'll try and help you, I'll try and do what I can to get you out of here . . ."

"Why would you do that?"

"Regardless of what you might think of me Carla, I don't approve of what he does to you . . ."

Carla hesitated for a moment before speaking again. She wasn't sure whether asking him was something that she should have done but as there was no one else, she was left with little choice. It had crossed her mind that Michael was on Frank's side and he had put him there on purpose and told him to gain her confidence so that he could go back and tell him what she was saying. Though each time that they spoke, there was something that told her that wasn't the case and she desperately hoped that she was right. "I think that there might be something you could do for me . . ."

Michael nodded and offered a small smile. "What is it?"

Carla swallowed hard before whispering her reply. Even saying it made her feel sick, it was like acknowledging outloud what Frank had done to her and that was something that she had never wanted to do. "Get me the pill . . ."

Carla knew that there was no way she could have another baby with Frank and while him being Dempsey's father didn't make her love her any less, the time that she had fallen pregnant with her had been in completely different circumstances. It had been a time when she had still loved him and had naively thought they would spend the rest of their lives together, but, the thought of having another child with him made her feel so ill, she couldn't be sure she wouldn't vomit from the mere thought.

Michael nodded slowly at what she had asked, he had known what Frank had done to her and it made his blood boil, but, similarly to Carla, her saying it outloud to him was something quite different altogether. It made it more real almost, and his feeling's about it even stronger. "Yeah, but you know before I can give you it you'll have to do a test . . ."

"A pregnancy test?" Carla whispered and at Michael's nod she swallowed hard, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment before speaking once more. "Do you have one?"

Michael nodded once more as he spoke, "yeah, give me a moment . . ."

When Michael left the room Carla had to try hard and use what little energy she did have to stop herself from getting the shakes at the prospect of carrying Frank's baby. Of course she had known that it was a possibility, but knowing that and actively doing something to find out were quite different feeling's. She tapped her foot against the bed gently, having not even known that she was doing it being a sure sign that she was nervous for what was about to happen. Before she knew it, Michael was back and he closed the bedroom door behind him before holding a white box out to her.

Carla hesitated before taking it, almost as if she was afraid of the object. However, he knew that it wasn't the object that she was scared of, but more about what the result of her using it could mean. Carla flinched as she got up from the bed and carefully made her way into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Her hands were shaking violently and she knew she was losing control of her emotions.

Waiting for Carla to do the test were some of the longest moment's of Carla's life. He knew that he didn't know her all that well but he did know that she didn't deserve what was happening to her. He was worried what would happen if the test did say that she was pregnant and silently wondered about what would happen to her from that point on. He was only distracted when she stepped out of the bathroom and held out the test to him. "I can't . . ." was her tearful whisper and he gave a nod of understanding before taking the stick.

"They take 2 minutes . . ."

Carla nodded and was about to get back into bed when a car door closing came from outside. She turned around to the window to find Frank getting out of a car and one solitary tear dripped down her cheek. She shook her head a little, almost hoping that this one simple gesture would change the situation in which she now found herself. It was a moment before she turned around, "you said that he wouldn't be back for a couple of days . . ."

Michael took a coule of steps forward and on getting to the window himself, he sighed, hoping that Carla had been mistaken somehow. "I didn't think that he would be . . ."

Carla was powerless to stop a sop from rolling from her lips and Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Michael . . . please . . ." she shook her head once more and he swallowed down his own emotions, hoping the lump that was forming in his throat would go away. "I can't . . . I can't do this anymore . . ."


	36. Chapter 36

**Thank you all so much for the comments both on here as well as in private messages. I hope you enjoy this next part. :-)**

Michael managed to get Carla sitting on the bed, sure that if she stood up for much longer her legs would just give out from under her. She was sitting sideways on the bed with her legs over the side and her insides were churning in sheer fear about what she knew would happen in a matter of moments. She was pulling at the material of the sleeves on the jumper that she was wearing and was brought from her thoughts by Michael gently placing his hands over her own, causing her to jump. "Carla, just go along with what I say all right?"

When it didn't seem as though Carla had acknowledged that he'd spoke, let alone understood what he had said, Michael spoke once more. "Carla?"

"How are you going to help me? You can't, if you were going to help you should have got me out of here before he came back."

Before Michael had the chance to answer and try and make her understand why he had done what he had done, the door opened and Frank walked into the room. Carla jumped when he spoke even though she had known that it probably wouldn't be long before he was there. "What's going on here, why isn't the door locked?"

"Carla's not feeling well, I was just asking her if she minded if I did some tests before I give her any medication. She was hardly going anywhere."

"Hurry up and do the tests, I want to know what's wrong with her." Frank stated and though what Michael said hadn't been very accurate about what had happened, all Carla could think of was that at that moment in time it was just another decision Frank had taken from her and made himself regardless of what she wanted.

Moments later and Frank left the room and when he did Carla slumped a little further forwards with a sigh. He hadn't been gone nearly long enough in her opinion and she could only hope that by some miracle she would get out of there sooner rather than later.

Helen had just sat down in Liam's living room with a cup of tea and let out a relaxed sigh while putting her feet up on the extended recliner of the seat. Even with all of the drama that seemed to be going on in her son's life at that moment in time she couldn't deny how much she was enjoying staying with him and hoped to do so on a more permanent basis, though she hadn't discussed it with him yet. She had only been sitting down for a moment or two when a child crying sounded through the room. She tutted her disapproval and leaned forward to put the cup of tea that she had hold of onto the table before getting up and walking out into the hallway.

When Helen walked out into the hallway and found Dempsey standing at the top of the stairs with her little hands curled around the bars of the stair gate, she sighed. After a moment of hesitation she turned around and stepped through the door to the side of her and down the stairs into the hallway that lead to the room that Dom usually stayed in. On arriving outside his door she knocked and on getting no answer she shook her head angrily and made her way back up to the main part of the house. It was at that moment wished that she hadn't told Tom, Barry and Liam it was alright if they took Jack out for a drink. Helen walked up the stairs and opened the stair gate, standing in the gap after doing so to make sure Dempsey couldn't go anywhere. She reached down and took her hand, walking her in the direction of the bedroom, but was stopped in her tracks when Dempsey pulled back and spoke. " No, want mama."

"Let's get you to bed little one . . ."

Dempsey shook her head and pouted slightly as her bottom lip began to tremble. "No, I want mama"

"Well, I'm afraid she's not here and you should be in bed."

"I no want bed"

"I'm afraid it's not a choice."

"I choice" Dempsey called, shouting a little louder and stamping her foot as Helen opened the door to the bedroom that Dempsey was staying in.

"Don't you start playing up for me, just get yourself in that bed."

"I no want you, I want Liam." Dempsey cried, her little hands balling into fists as she got frustrated with herself about Carla not being there, although there was nothing that she could do about it.

"Well he isn't here."

Dempsey was about to answer her but the door opened and Liam talking to Jack and Barry sounded through the hallway. Dempsey pulled her hand back from Helen's grip and ran to the top of the stairs, shouting him when she got there. When Liam turned to find Dempsey standing at the top of the stairs he frowned and sighed quietly when Helen stood behind her. "Wait there a moment sweetheart."

Liam put his coat onto one of the hooks by the door so that it was hanging up and then walked up the stairs to where Dempsey was, picking her up and running his hand over her back to try and soothe her and stop her crying. "Hey baby, shh . . . What's happened?" he questioned, though directed it at Helen as Dempsey nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Helen shrugged, "I told her she had to go back to bed and she didn't want to."

"I want my mama" Dempsey shouted and Liam was sure he'd felt his heart break in his chest.

"Let's get you some milk, hey?' he whispered, before kissing the side of her head. He turned around and walked into the kitchen with Dempsey, he didn't want to speak to his Mother after the numerous arguments he'd had with her over the last month about Maria and Carla, and he didn't want to run the risk of having another one while he had Dempsey with him. After making his way into the kitchen he put some milk on to warm up while he rocked her gently. "You're out on your feet you." he whispered.

"Where's mama?"

"I told you darling, she had to go away for a little while . . ."

"No little . . ."

Liam swallowed hard to try and keep his emotions at bay. "All right, quite a long while then . . ."

"She come back?"

'How could she leave you, hey?

"But she gone?"

"Only for work though, she didn't want to leave you."

"How do you know?"

"She loves you to bits doesn't she."

"All' world?"

Liam smiled and nodded, "yep."

"Dempsey love mama all world too."

He tapped her on the nose gently and she moved her head back with a shy smile. Once Liam had poured the drink into the cup and secured the top on it, he passed it over to her and Dempsey immediately began drinking it. "I tell you what, why don't me and you go and put a DVD on?"

"I pick?"

Liam nodded "of course you can . . ."

"You stay with me in my bedroom?"

"If you want, yeah."

"You smell funny . . ." she frowned and Liam laughed.

"I smell?" he raised his eyebrow a little and Dempsey hesitated before nodding, a grin slowly spreading over her lips. "Now there's no need for that is there? Maybe I think you smell . . ." he teased.

Dempsey frowned, "I no smell . . ." she raised her pajama t-shirt to her nose, smelling it before letting go again. "I smell nice." She stated, and Liam laughed.

"I tell you hat, why don't you and me go and get a muffin to take upstairs with us?"

Dempsey nodded, "yes please."

Liam got the both of them one of the muffin's that had been left on the side and after doing so he head upstairs into the bedroom that Dempsey was staying in. On getting inside he closed the door and placed her into the bed, tucking her in before laying on the top of the bed covers himself. "Here you go sweetheart . . ." he stated, handing her the muffin before walking over to the TV that was in there. "So, what DVD do you want us to put on?"

"mmmm, Peppa?"

Liam put the disc into the DVD player and then walked back over to lay on the bed beside Dempsey who had settled herself into the pillows. "Are you comfortable, Mrs?"

She nodded and Liam smiled and it wasn't long after she'd eaten the muffin that he had brought up for her that she nodded off once more with the bottle of milk she had been drinking. Liam had sat up on the bed and left the room quietly so he didn't wake Dempsey, he closed the door too, but left a small gap so that she wasn't locked inside. When he turned around he found Tom standing opposite him. "I thought you'd have gone to bed by now?"

"I wanted to know how she was . . ."

"She's settled now, " he sighed, "but I think I'm going to have to ring Marc in the morning, I need to know what's going on."

"You only spoke to him a couple of days ago, Liam."

"Yes and I want to know what has been going on in those couple of days. I'm paying him a fortune and there's a little girl in there who has no idea what's going on or where her mum is and that's worrying me more than you could ever imagine." Although he didn't mean to he couldn't help snapping at Tom, his anger was bubbling to the surface and he had just happened to be the one there who Liam had taken it out on.

"Maybe you should go to bed and think things through in the morning yeah?"

Liam didn't say another word and walked into his room, leaving Tom feeling a little worried. It wasn't that he didn't want his cousin to speak to Marc about what was going on in regards to him finding Carla, but, he knew that with the mood he was in at that moment in time would get him nowhere if it continued through until the following day.

It was around 20 minutes later after leaving the room that Frank walked back into it. Carla was laid on the bed and Michael was now standing at the side of it putting some things into a bag. Carla had almost dropped off when Frank's voice sounded through the room and startled her, making her jump slightly. She swallowed hard at his words and had been hoping that he would stay away at least until she knew if there was anything wrong, but as he hadn't she was hoping that there was nothing that Michael needed to tell him even more than she had been previously. "So, what's the matter with her then?"

When Michael spoke, Carla immediately wished that she had been the one to answer what Frank had asked and taken the lead of the conversation. "Well there is something . . ."

Regardless of what it was that was wrong with her, Carla knew that she wouldn't want Frank to know and though she had never said it to Michael she had guessed he would already know that would be how she felt. Her worries about him secretly being on the same side as Frank resurfaced and it made her stomach churn. She was pulled sharply from her thoughts once more when Frank spoke. "What is it then? What's the matter with her Michael, I haven't got time for you to be talking in some kind of?" His voice went through her Carla and she physically flinched, not so subtly backing up on the bed a little.

When Michael answered what he had asked, Carla felt her heart drop. It had been the one thing that she hadn't wanted and she knew that by him telling Frank took away any decision that she might have wanted to make and what little control that she might have had if Frank hadn't of known. She moved her hand up to try and hide that her lips were trembling and bit down inside of her mouth after swallowing hard to try and control her emotions and stop the tears that were threatening to fall.

"She's pregnant . . ."


	37. Chapter 37

**Thank you so much for the feedback you send, it really does mean so much. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. :-)**

Frank had his arm locked around Carla's shoulder, sitting at the head of the bed with his legs outstretched in front of him. Carla was sitting next to him and her muscles were aching from tensing at being so close but she couldn't relax. Michael had left after telling Frank the news and he had been there ever since. Carla just wanted to be left alone to try and deal with the result she hadn't wanted to happen but was how her reality. However, as Frank had made himself comfortable she doubted that would happen anytime soon. He had been talking for a while now but Carla had managed to cut herself off from what he was saying and got lost in her own thoughts. However, when he squeezed her closer to him she was sharply pulled from them.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before you were carrying our baby again . . ."

_Well with the amount of times you've forced yourself on me, are you really that surprised?_ Carla thought bitterly, though she thought better of saying that to Frank. The thought that if she had known Michael a little earlier, then this might not have happened made her feel very ill. She would have done anything to stop what had happened, and was having a mental argument with herself while trying to deal with what Frank was saying. The baby was innocent, it hadn't asked to be conceived, but neither had she and she wasn't sure she could love it given the situation that it would be born into and who it's father was. When Frank used the term "our" when referring to the baby that she was now carrying, Carla's blood boiled. He did the same thing with Dempsey and while she knew that he was Dempsey's father by blood that was all in her opinion. He had done nothing that meant anything for her and had only ever been interested when he was using her to get at Carla. She swallowed hard and shifted uncomfortably before speaking up for the first time in over 20 minutes. "I want you to take me to Dempsey, to make sure that she's all right . . ."

Frank raised his eyebrow, his tone patronizing, "feeling brave now are we? Making demands . . ."

"She is my daughter, and I'm not demanding, I'm just asking . . ."

"I told you, keep doing what you're told and it'll think about it."

"I've been doing what you want for weeks . . ." Carla mumbled, the words almost choking her as she said them.

"Don't start getting difficult Carla, I am not in the mood and you will just blow any chance you have of going anywhere outside of these four walls."

Carla swallowed hard, what she was about to say made even made her sick but she was so desperate to visit or even speak to her daughter she found the words leaving her lips anyway. "Surely she should know about our baby, it's her brother or her sister . . ."

"If you keep going the way of are you won't be there if she gets told."

Carla decided against saying anything else in no doubt what so ever that he would carry out what he had threatened without a second thought.

Before either of them said anything else, Michael walked into the room with the phone in one hand. "Frank, it's Rik . . ."

"Tell him to call me back."

"He says it's important."

Frank grumbled something under his breath before getting up from the bed and walking over to the doorway of the bedroom where Michael was standing. He took the phone and walked up into the study had had, closing the door loudly before accepting the call. Carla found herself pleased that Rik had called and got him away from her, even if it was only for a number of moments. She was struggling to cope more and more by the day and the news she'd received not even an hour ago had sent her emotions and her thoughts into a complete whirlwind.

Once Frank was gone, Michael stepped a little closer to the bed where Carla was sitting and she turned so that she was laying on her side with her back to him. "Carla . . ."

"Go away Michael."

"I want to speak to you."

"Well I don't want to speak to you so get out." though her tone was quiet, how much she meant what she was saying wasn't missed by him.

Michael sighed and picked up the empty glass that had been on the side before leaving the room, of course he understood why she didn't want to speak to him, but what she didn't know was the other part of his plan and why he had done what he had.

On getting downstairs, Michael put some more ice into the glass after washing it out and filled it with orange juice. He was making his way back upstairs when he found that Frank hadn't closed the door to his study properly and when he spoke Michael frowned in confusion, silently wondering what was going on. He stepped a little closer to the door and tried to make out Frank's side of the conversation.

"I know you don't have her and I don't care what you need to do, just get me some more of those photographs. Carla doesn't need to know otherwise if you do your job, so unless you want a kid to take care of I suggest you get them, or we'll probably have to resort back to plan A."

Michael smirked and silently walked away from the room Frank was in and into the bedroom where Carla was. He placed the drink on the side before sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over a little, which caused Carla to jump. "It's just me . . ."

"I don't want to speak to you Michael, I've told you."

"You will want to know this."

Carla frowned in confusion and turned just a fraction as Michael spoke and shook her head a little. "What is it?"

"Frank doesn't have Dempsey . . ."

"Don't talk rubbish, Michael . . ."

"Carla, I'm telling you. I walked past his room and he was on the phone to Rik, he doesn't have her . . ."

"You think I'm going to take your word for it after your little stunt earlier?"

"There was a reason for that too, I said I wanted to help you Carla and I meant it."

"Well you've done nothing but make things worse for me so far, so before you do anything else just please leave it."

"You're not pregnant . . ."

Carla frowned, shaking her head a little and biting down on her trembling lip to try and stop her tears. "Why are you doing this Michael, things are hard enough without you messing around with me and making things worse."

Michael sighed, "hey, I really didn't mean to make things worse for you and I know I've probably gone about this in completely the wrong way but I fully intend trying to help all right? Now, I told him you were pregnant for a reason . . ."

Carla turned around a little more, "what reason?"

"I know what he does to you and despite what you might think of me right now it makes me sick that someone could do that and not feel anything about how wrong it is . . ."

Carla swallowed hard, she struggled to even think about what Frank was doing to her, let alone speak about it. "Michael don't . . . I can't . . ."

"I'm not asking you to talk about it, I'm just saying, I know he does that . . . But, he wants a baby, so if you have to rest while being pregnant, there is no way he'll be doing it then, will he?"

"But what about when he finds out I'm not pregnant?"

"You should be out of here by then, some women don't show until they're four or five months pregnant so that gives us a while . . ."|

Carla nodded and there was a flicker of a smile tugging a the corners of her lips, she was trying not to get her hopes up about what Michael was talking about but it seemed she couldn't help it. "What about Dempsey, what did you say about Dempsey?"

"He doesn't have her."

"How do you know, you might have misunderstood what he said . . ." Though Carla didn't want to think that Frank had Dempsey she knew if what Michael was saying was true, it meant that she had been doing what Frank wanted for weeks for no reason.

"He said to Rik that he needed more pictures and if he didn't get them he would have a kid to take care of . . . Why else would he say that?"

There was a pause of silence before Carla burst into sobs, she guessed they were partly out of relief that her daughter should still be with Liam but also out of utter disgust that she had let Frank touch her and had not put up a fight after he'd forced himself on her due to the threats he'd made which she now knew were empty ones.

"Hey, Carla . . ." Michael reached out and let his fingers gently brush her's, though she moved her hand instinctively. "All you have to do is to act like things haven't changed even though you know this. Now, I know it's going to be hard but just keep it up for a little bit longer. I know I said we might have a while to think this through but I want to try and get you out of here as soon as possible." Carla nodded her agreement and ran hr backs of her hands over her cheeks, sniffing quietly as Michael spoke once again. "Do you think you can do that, try and keep things as they were?"

"I think so . . ." Carla whispered.

Michael gave a small smile and nodded before leaving the room, and Carla sat back and tried to process everything that she's just been told.

Liam had lain with Dempsey until she was settled and once she was he'd turned the DVD off before switching the small nightlight on he had bought for by her bed. He closed the door to, on stepping out of the room, but made sure there was a gap and on getting onto the landing he let out a frustrated sigh. He couldn't put his emotions into words and that was only adding to the frustration that he felt. He was so desperate to get Carla back and though he had been advised by Marc not to do anything himself until he had found more out about the situation, he knew that he was struggling to do as he'd asked.

Liam was on his way into the room he used as his office when Jack walked out of the bedroom he was using, and on walking across the landing to reach Liam, he spoke. "You still up son . . ."

Liam nodded, "I can't seem to settle."

"It's hardly surprising is it?'

Liam sighed and shook his head before Jack spoke once more, "how abut a coffee?"

"Make it a Whiskey and you're on."

Jack gave a small smile and nodded before the two of them headed downstairs. He knew that the things were getting on top of Liam more and more by the day and though he wanted to help, he was no private investigator. He sat down at the kitchen table after getting them a drink and hesitated for a moment before speaking. "You know, just due to having to do a little bit of waiting doesn't mean that you've stopped caring about her."

"Doesn't it? That little girl up there hasn't got the first idea what's going on and being told I have to sit here and do nothing isn't helping anyone is it?"

"It might not seem like it in the short term but Marc has already told you that if you go in there all guns blazing and Frank finds out before you get to Carla then he will make sure that you don't ever find her again. At least this way he can't be sure what help you have, if you have any help, what you're doing about trying to find her or where you're at in trying to find her. Just try and sit tight, yeah . . ."

"That's easier said than done . . ."

Jack gave a sympathetic nod, "I know it is son, I know . . ."

"I just love her so much granddad . . ." Liam whispered tearfully, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do . . ."

Jack got up and walked around the table, putting his hand on his grandson's shoulder. "You go to bed, try and get as much rest as you can and in the morning you call Marc and arrange to meet him to find out where he's at with finding her. I will drop Liam off at Maria's for the night and Tom can have Dempsey for the morning. We are here to help you Liam, I know things aren't easy here what with your mum and the divorce but you will get through this you know."

"I hope so . . ."

"I'll make sure of it."

Carla was laid in the dark and was becoming increasingly annoyed at the song that Frank was playing. It was their wedding song, again. He'd never stopped playing it since she'd been there and everytime it was played it just made her feel sick. She knew that he would know it would have that effect on her and she knew that was why he was doing it. In the beginning she had hoped that if she didn't mention it he would stop or that if he played it enough the feelings would go away, though neither had happened, if anything she thought the feeling's had only gotten worse.

_"I could stay lost in this moment forever, where every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure . . ."_

Carla was startled by the sound of a rustling noise coming from the doorway of the room and it caused her to frown. She sat up a little and when no other noise came she carefully leaned over the bed to find a white envelope on the floor that had been slipped under the door. Carla moved her legs around the side of the bed and got up, and on making her way over to the doorway she bent down to pick up the piece of paper. Carla climbed back into bed before opening the envelope, pulling out the note she knew was from Michael.

_Frank is going out tomorrow night, he won't be back until around 11, so, I will leave the door unlocked for you to leave at 10 and I will meet you at the back of the grounds of the house at ten past. That should give us some time to get you away before he even knows that you've gone. Rip this up once you know what the plan is and give me a nod tomorrow if you want to do it . . ._


	38. Chapter 38

**I can't thank you all enough for the feedback you left on the last chapter. I finished this one much quicker than I thought it was going to so I thought I'd post it for you. The feedback really does help with motivation for writing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. :-)**

The following morning, Carla was woken when Michael walked into the room and she sat up slowly in bed. She was about to talk to him about the note he had left her the previous night when Frank entered, causing her heart rate to speed up dramatically. As soon as he walked into the room she was sure that he knew what was going on and though deep down she knew she was being ridiculous she couldn't help it.

"How are you feeling?' Michael questioned and Carla knew that he was trying to keep things as normal as possible, like she was, though once again her mind was going crazy with thoughts about what had happened the previous day.

"Sick . . ." Carla whispered and though she hoped that Frank thought it was due to having been told that she was pregnant, she guessed Michael would know the real reason.

"I've brought you this . . ." Michael stated, putting a plate of toast on the side with a glass of orange juice but Carla shook her head a little and turned the other way. "I'm not hungry."

"Stop being so selfish thinking about yourself Carla, it's not about you anymore so just eat it and stop making things difficult." Frank snapped before speaking up once more, only this time it was in Michael's direction. "Hurry up in here I need to have a word." he stated, before turning on his heel and leaving the room, causing Carla to let out a breath of relief at his exit.

"Just eat one of the slices hey?" Michael suggested before moving to sit down on the edge of the bed and Carla gave a small sigh before nodding, she didn't feel at all like eating but she knew that she needed something in her system if she hoped to try and get through the next couple of days. She had just taken a small bite of the toast when Michael spoke again and she felt her stomach churn at the thought of what he was talking about and almost as though it was getting ready to reject whatever was about to be put into it. "Do you still want to do it?"

Carla nodded, "yes. I just want to be away from him and back with my baby and Liam . . ."

"Who is Liam?"

Carla hesitated for a moment before answering, she wasn't sure how comfortable she was talking to Michael about Liam but after a moment she answered him anyway. "A friend . . . A very good friend. He is the one who's taking care of Dempsey . . ."

"So you want to go to his tonight?"

Carla nodded and on her doing so, Michael got a pen and a piece of paper from his pocket. He held it out to her and spoke up, gesturing to it with a nod. "Write down his address on here."

Carla gave a small nod before scribbling Liam's address down, her heart rate still hadn't returned to normal, she was terrified even then and it was no where near the time of when she had to do anything.

"I didn't get chance to give you this yesterday . . ." Michael stated quietly before handing Carla a pill. "Just in case."

Carla nodded before taking it with a mouthful of the orange juice that was on the side, not needing to ask what it was. She sat back on the bed a little and sighed quietly, hesitating for a moment before she spoke up in a whisper. "Michael I'm scared . . ."

He nodded sympathetically. "I know love, but hopefully you won't be here much longer . . ."

"I hope so . . ."

Liam was up and dressed early and had called Marc who had agreed to travel to the house so they could talk. He had accepted Jack's offer of help and while Tom was getting Dempsey her breakfast, he was getting Liam's things together after Jack had dressed him, ready for Maria to pick him up. It was her day to have him overnight and she had asked if she could pick him up earlier than she normally would have. The door to the house went moments later and Liam made his way from the living room and down the hall to answer it. "Hi . . ." Liam offered a small smile and stepped to one side, trying to keep things as civil as possible with his soon to be ex-wife, though making an effort was one of the last things he wanted to do at that moment in time when all he could think about was Carla.

"Hi Liam, how are you?"

"Liam's things are in here . . ." he had no idea how he was supposed to answer the question which was why he just ignored it and handed her the bag, holding the things their son needed.

Maria raised her eyebrow a little before speaking up once more, "I wanted to ask you if I could have him for four nights . . ."

"What for?"

"I was going to take him away."

"To where, you've not mentioned it before?"

"Down to London just for a little bit of time away."

Liam nodded his approval after a moment's hesitation, "yeah I think he'll enjoy himself, you should have told me and I would have got some more of his things together."

"It was all really last minute, don't worry. I'll just take this and then if he needs other things I'll probably just buy it."

"Fair enough . . ."

She stepped forwards and brushed his hand with her's, "thank you . . ."

Liam moved his hand rather uncomfortably before nodding and as Liam came running down the hallway he picked him up. "You're going to stay with your mummy for a little while, she's taking you on a little holiday."

"Where?"

"To London."

"London?" he repeated and Liam smiled with a nod.

"So, can I have a cuddle before you go?"

Liam smiled and nodded before wrapping his arms around his dad's neck, giving him a cuddle, which Liam returned before putting him down. "You have a good time and you'll have to tell me all about it when you get back all right?"

Little Liam nodded before taking Maria's hand who turned around to leave with him and unbeknown to Liam had a smirk now forming over her lips. Once they had gone Liam sighed quietly and hadn't got halfway up the hall when the door went once more and when he answered it he found Marc standing opposite him. "All right mate, come in . . ."

Marc nodded and stepped into the hall. "Cheers, how are you feeling?"

"I'm worried sick mate . . ."

"I know it's hard but there's been a bit of a development, you've just got to give it some time."

"Do you want coffee?"

"Yeah go on then."

Liam made his way into the kitchen with Marc following and on getting into the doorway he found Dempsey and Tom crawling around on the floor. He shook his head a little and coughed to gain their attention and on doing so, Tom got up and picked up Dempsey. "Come on you, I think it's time you got dressed."

Tom walked to the doorway of the kitchen and when they got past Marc, Dempsey spoke. "Who's 'dis?"

He smiled and turned around to answer Dempsey before Tom did. "I'm Marc . . ." he held out his hand to gently shake her's and Dempsey smiled shyly. "Who are you?"

"Dempsey . . ."

"You have a very pretty name."

"You have pretty name too . . ."

Marc smiled and gave Tom a nod of acknowledgement, which he returned before speaking to Dempsey himself. "Right, come on Mrs . . ." he turned and left to go upstairs while Marc and Liam made their way into the kitchen.

On getting into the kitchen and sitting down at the table, Liam stirred his coffee as Marc had a mouthful of his. "So what's this development? He questioned, unable to think about waiting to find out or making small talk.

"Well, I know about how Rik, Frank's sidekick, found out where Dempsey and Carla were and that was finding out what nursery Dempsey was at and they must've worked it out from there."

Liam sighed and shook his head a little before speaking up once more, "anything else?"

"I think it's extremely unlikely that they're abroad . . ."

"How do you know? How can you be sure?"

"I'm not 100% sure but I know that the only passport that Carla's ever had has expired."

"How do you know this?"

"I called in a favor from an old friend . . ."

"So you think they're in England?"

Marc nodded, "yeah I do, I have a couple of people working for me at the moment and working on trying to find her and if they come up with anything, you will be the first to know . . ."

"Things seem to be going so slowly with this though . . ."

Marc nodded, "I know but trust me, I'm doing what I can as fast as I can. I don't doubt for one second that Frank has had this carefully planned out and it wasn't a spur of the moment kind of thing which is making it harder for us to find out where they've gone, but he might not be as clever as he thinks he is."

"Did she say anything to you about him?"

"She's told me things, yeah. Why?"

"So you know what he's like then, from other than what I've told you?"

Liam nodded, "yeah"

Marc sighed and shook his head a little, after meeting Dempsey that morning it made him think of the baby his wife had just had, and the thought of her with no mum killed him and it only made him want to help them all the more. "Did she ever say of anything about where he lived or where he had properties?"

Liam hesitated for a moment as he thought about the question before shaking his head, "no, I don't think she did. She told me where their old house was, where they used to live together and when he first took her that's where she thought that he was gong to take her, but she called me and told me they weren't there and that they were somewhere else."

"Do you know where the old house was?"

Liam nodded, "yeah, one moment . . ." Liam scribbled the address down after getting some paper and Marc stood up after taking it. "I'll get someone I know to head down there now and I'll call you and let you know if I find anything out about what's going on. Thanks for the coffee mate."

"You're welcome."

It had just gone 10 and Carla guessed that Frank would have gone but after waiting 5 minutes just to be sure she got out of bed and pulled on a pair of legging's and a sloppy t-shirt that had been too big for her when it had been bought, so was even more so after all of the weight she had lost since she had been stuck there. Carla pulled on a pair of boots before pulling her hair up, she didn't have anything with her she needed to take, so, she walked to the door and turned the doorknob, opening it just a crack. She checked that there was no one around before creeping down the hall. Carla guessed that Michael would be waiting in his car when he had told her to meet him and she wanted to get there as soon as possible for them to try and get away long before Frank was due back.

Carla crept down the hallway and on getting to the top of the stairs she went down them, her heart pounding in her chest so hard she thought that it would be a loud noise echoing through the house. She was becoming breathless through panicking and it seemed no matter what she did she couldn't calm herself down. On getting to the bottom of the stairs, Carla hurried to the door but on pressing down handle she found that it was locked. She tried again, harder this time and when nothing happened she turned and quickly headed back up the stairs. She was about to walk past Frank's office when she found the door was slightly open and after nudging it open once more she found a set of keys on the desk.

Carla grabbed them and without another thought she headed back down the stairs and to the door. On getting there she began trying the different keys, though it was proven very difficult as she struggled to get them into the lock given her hands were violently shaking. It was the last key that went into the lock and turned to open the door, causing Carla to shake her head. _Typical_, she thought, but was pulled from thinking anything else when a voice came from behind her and made her blood run cold.

"Well well well," his tone was sarcastic to start with, but it soon changed to a cold and much harder one. "What do you think you're doing?"


	39. Chapter 39

**Thank you all for the lovely things you've said about this story. I hope you enjoy the next chapter, it's a little shorter than I thought it was going to be but I just felt it needed to be ended there rather than carry on with something else being added. This chapter would probably be rated M due to the content so if you're easily offended or upset, stop here. I hope you enjoy this. :-)**

Carla pulled the door open to run out and make a break for it before she had chance to think anything through but before she stepped foot out of the door it was slammed closed from behind her seconds before she felt a hand on her shoulder which turned her around roughly, slamming her back against the door. "I asked you a question . . ." Frank growled.

Carla swallowed hard, suddenly finding that her throat had gone dry. She was sure her back was bruised but that was the least of her worries at that moment in time. "I . . . I just . . ."

"What?" he snapped, "you just what?" His hands were like a vice on her shoulders and Carla winced, though when she tried to move to release the pressure a little, she found it impossible.

"I wanted some air . . ." she knew it was rubbish and pathetic but it was all she could think of in her state of panic, but as soon as the words had left her mouth she regretted it.

Frank laughed, a chilling sarcastic laugh and if she hadn't have been held against the door, Carla would have backed off considerably. She just wanted to get away from him but at that moment in time she wished she had never even considered the idea of leaving. "You wanted some air?" he repeated sarcastically before hitting her hard with the back of his hand, the cracking sound of him connecting with her cheek echoed through the hall and it satisfied him. As Carla moved her hand to her cheek she lost the battle to controll her emotions as her tears fell like a waterfall. "Frank . . . Please . . ."

"Do you think I was born yesterday?" he spat and Carla knew he was past the point of no return with how angry he was and it terrified her.

Carla shook her head, "no . . ." she whimpered.

He nodded, "right, so let's try again then shall we?" he questioned, raising his eyebrow a little as his grip on her tightened even further and he spoke again. "What were you doing?"

Carla hesitated for a moment and on finding herself with no choice she spoke up, "you know what I was doing . . ." she whispered.

"Say it." he spoke through gritted teeth and at that moment in time she just wanted the ground to swallow her up and get her out of the situation she now found herself in. When she said nothing, Frank shook her hard before speaking once more, his voice raising considerably as he did. "I said, say it." he snapped.

Carla thought her throat was going to close up before she even got the words out, but she just about managed. She knew refusing to speak or admitting what she was planning to do wasn't going to please and that neither would help. But, she came to the decision that not speaking would make him react worse. "I needed to get out . . ."

"What have I told you about doing as you're told, it isn't like you don't have a reason." he smirked cockily and she knew just what he was referring to. However she knew that Frank didn't have Dempsey and at that moment in time she couldn't have been more pleased about it, but, knowing that admitting to the knowledge that she had would only put her daughter in more danger, she knew she had to play along.

"Frank please, this was me that's done something wrong she has done nothing . . ."

"I've warned you Carla, on more than one occasion."

"Please don't do anything to her."

He ignored her completely and spoke over her with a question of his own, one that made Carla panic even more than she already was. "How did you get out?" she didn't want to get Michael into trouble, but trying to think of a plausible story on the spot was harder than she'd thought it would be. Frank's fingers pressed into her cheeks as he held her chin tightly and she was sure that there would be marks left. "I haven't got time for this, Carla . . ."

"The door was open . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"The bedroom door was open, I tried it and it hadn't been locked so I took my chances . . ."

"Where did you get the keys from? Were you given them?" his eyebrow raised a fraction and Carla swallowed hard. She knew he suspected Michael and after how he had tried to help her she wanted to make sure Frank didn't find out he had been involved, after all, she didn't think it was his fault that things had not gone to plan.

Carla shook her head, "no, I found them . . ."

"Where?"

"I walked past your office and the door was open . . . they were in there . . ."

"So, you think you've got one over on me once. What's to say that you're not going to do it again? That you're not doing it again?"

Carla shook her head, desperately hoping that somehow she would be able to calm the situation down, though deep down she already knew that it was way past that point. "No, I'm not . . . I won't . . ."

"Oh really? So there's nothing else that you're lying to me about?"

"No, nothing . . ."

Frank stepped even closer and placed his hand against Carla's stomach before speaking up once more. "Are you sure?"

Her heart hammered in her chest and she was sure it was unhealthy for it to be beating so fast, her breath quickened and all she could manage was a nod. If she spoke Carla was sure she would give away what they had done so she decided to keep quiet.

"So you won't mind proving it then?"

"What?"

"If you're not lying to me then you shouldn't have a problem proving it."

"How?"

"Just wait there." He leant forward and flicked the keys in the door so it locked one more and after doing so place them in his pocket before walking back down the hall.

Carla couldn't deny that the thought of making a run for it hadn't passed through her thoughts, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere and would only anger him further, so she stayed where she was. Carla stepped forward from the door just a little as she waited for him to return, silently wondering what he was planning and knowing that he was probably enjoying making her wait and wonder. Carla had no idea how long she had been standing there when Frank returned but it was sure that it had seemed longer than it really was. She bit down on the inside of her mouth as he walked towards her and when he held up a small smile box she thought that she could possibly be sick on the spot. A pregnancy test. A pregnancy test that she knew would turn negative and prove she had been lying for the past couple of days. "Why do you need that?"

"Surely even you can work that one out."

"But I've told you, Michael told you and he's a doctor."

"Just do it, Carla."

"I don't want to."

"You don't have a choice." He held the box out to her and when she took it he smirked.

Carla hesitated for a moment before sighing in defeat. She dropped her hand to her side that was holding the box and stepped past him to the stairs, she got up to the fourth one before making run for it, her legs carrying her as fast as they could and though she had no idea where she was going or what she should do, she just knew that she needed to get away from Frank as fast as possible.

As soon as it registered in Frank's mind what she was doing, he followed her up the stairs, taking two at a time to catch up with her. From the reaction Carla had given he knew that she had been lying about the pregnancy and the anger was coming off him in waves. Carla headed for the main bathroom of the house due to knowing there was a lock, but before she could get to it Frank grabbed hold of the back of her top and pulled her backwards so hard that it ripped. He shoved her sideways, throwing her into the bedroom that she had left only moments previously and the force he used caused her to end up in a heap on the floor. A sob left Carla's lips against her will before she tried to scramble to her feet, but before she could she was pulled up by her hair. "What did you think I was just never going to find out?" he spat.

However, before Carla had the chance to even think about an answer, Frank's fist connected with her cheek once more as he let her go, causing her to fall. His next words made Carla's blood run cold and she brought her arms up and her legs to her chest, trying to make herself as little as possible, anticipating what was to come. "You don't think that I'm just going to let this go, do you?" he shouted, seething. "You should have known better than to try and make a mug of me, Carla."

For a split second Carla thought about arguing with him but she knew she would be wasting her breath and decided not to bother. Her thoughts of trying to get out and thinking about what might have happened if she had managed it were gone now, and replacing them were thoughts of sheer terror about what was to come her way. When Frank kicked her she bit down on her lip so hard that it bled to try and stop a cry from passing her lips at the force. She tried desperately to make her body relax, knowing that the blows would be worse if she tensed, though it was impossible. It was her natural reaction and though she wanted to fight him off she had tried and failed on a number of occasions and at that moment in time the only thing that she could hope was that he stopped sooner rather than later.

Frank took all of the aggression out on the woman laid on the floor in front of him and had decided that in his mind he was all the more determined to keep her under his power and in his control. Frank was angrier than he ever had been before with the knowledge that not only had Carla tried to run, but that she had also lied to him about being pregnant and he had thought she had been telling the truth. As far as he was concerned she had brought everything on herself and not one ounce of guilt or regret entered his feeling's as he dished out his lengthily punishment . . .


	40. Chapter 40

**Thank you for the feedback, I hope you enjoy this next chapter. :-)**

Carla was laid on the hard wood floor of the bedroom, her body was shaking and her breathing was slow and shallow. She was only just remaining conscious and she was more than aware of Frank's presence in the room. Everywhere hurt and ached, her limbs were so heavy she wasn't sure she would be able to lift them or move even slightly. The pain in her stomach was worse than ever before and her hand clutched the shred of material that was her top to try and cover herself as best she could. She held her hand at her stomach as though it would help to soothe the pain there, but of course it didn't help even in the slightest.

The sound of Frank doing the zip up on his trousers seemed so loud in the room it made Carla involuntarily flinch. Even the slightest movement caused pains to shoot all over her body and for her bones and muscles to ache and scream at her to stop. She had curled herself into herself so that she was as small as she could possibly be and the large room made her seem even more tiny.

Frank was satisfied at the way he had broke her and in his opinion she had learnt the lesson of not tying to cross him. He knew that Michael had had some involvement in what had happened and he had no intentions of allowing him to continue being in charge of keeping Carla in the house to minimize the chances of either of them trying cross him again. There was a couple of moments of silence in the room and without another word to Carla, Frank turned around and left the house, locking both doors before he went. He knew that Carla wouldn't be going anywhere but he was taking no chances.

Carla had no idea how long she had been laid there but she felt some kind of relief when Frank left, trying to deal with the pain she was in and Frank being in the same room as her was too much for her to handle. She was struggling to control her emotions and deal with how she was feeling due to knowing there was nothing that she could do about it was making her feel worse and she was sure she was going to be sick in just a matter of time. A sob passed Carla's lips before she had the chance to stop it and after one had came, she couldn't stop the others. Her body shook so hard with the force of them she thought that she might just fall apart.

Knowing that she had lost the only chance she had had to escape made her heart break in her chest and now Frank had gone she was terrified that he had left her to die in the room on her own and the only thing that she could be thankful for was knowing that Frank didn't have her daughter.

Michael had been sitting in his car for around 40 minutes now and as each second was passing he was worrying more about where Carla was. He knew there had been a possibility that she could have been later than they had arranged, but, he knew that it had been highly unlikely she would have been as late as she was at that moment in time. It only took Michael a second to decide he couldn't just sit and wait any longer, and he started up the car and drove in the direction of the house. He wasn't too far from the house and he was thankful of that now, especially as he had thought about changing the location of where they would meet at the last minute so they were further away.

It didn't take Michael too long to get back to the house as he hit the accelerator in the car and on parking outside he rushed inside and up to the room Carla was in after taking the stairs two at a time. He couldn't get the keys to the room out of his pocket quick enough, but, when he threw the door open he stopped dead. His heart was in his mouth and for a second or two, he found that his voice had gone; Michael had no idea what to say or do. And it took a number of minutes before he managed to speak. "Carla . . ." he whispered, when he came out of his state of being frozen and sighed when she tried to become impossibly smaller. He knew what Frank had done and he knew it was due to her trying to get out and he could not help feeling responsible for it, so in that second he made a decision and he wanted to carry it out as quickly as possible. "I'm not going to hurt you, but you need to get into bed . . ."

"No . . ." Carla mumbled. "You have . . . To go . . ." her breaths were wheezy and labored in between words as she spoke and Michael was sure she had cracked or broken ribs.

"I can't leave you like this . . ."

"You've got to . . . He knows . . ."

Michael hesitated, frustrated and panicking both at the same time was doing him no favors while he was trying to figure out what to do next, one thing he did know was that he couldn't leave Carla as she was and it was that thought that caused him to act as he did. "I need to move you onto the bed Carla . . ."

"No . . ." She sobbed, that alone taking all of the little strength that she still did possess.

"It might hurt but you will be more comfortable on there than you will on this floor."

Carla knew that he was right but the thought of moving wasn't something that she welcomed and when Michael lifted her she knew she had been right. The pain that she felt wasn't something she could describe and she cried out before she got the chance to stop herself. "Michael . . ."

"Here . . ." He put Carla on the bed and placed the blanket over her, she was freezing and it worried him, but not nearly as much as the injuries she had. As he moved her he found that she had a large gash on the top of her head which he guessed was from her falling, a severely split lip, a heavy bruise on her cheek and two other smaller ones. "Just try and hang on a little bit longer all right . . ."

"Just . . . Just try to get away Michael, if he comes back . . . He will kill you . . . Thank you . . . For trying to help me . . ." she whispered and Michael thought he might cry right there. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned around and left the room. After locking the door he went back to the car and sped off once more.

Liam was sitting in his living room with Tom, it was getting on and everyone else was in bed but the two of them had been up talking for a little while. Liam re-filled the both of their glasses with some Whiskey before sitting himself back down on the couch.

"Did you speak to Marc?" Tom questioned. He thought it strange how much he felt he needed to find a girl he had never met before but he guessed that was due to wanting to help Liam more than anything. Although he didn't know much about her he knew that no one deserved to go through what they suspected she was and he couldn't deny the length of time she had been there was worrying him.

"Yeah, he didn't know much more but he seemed to think he was onto something. I know he's helping and all the rest of it Tom but if he tells me to give it time anymore . . ." he sighed and shook his head a little, "it's ridiculous. He should have found her in a matter of hours the amount I'm paying him. I've been out at any given opportunity, I'm sure he hasn't been doing all that much."

"He will have been doing as much as he can, Liam."

He raised his eyebrow, "really?"

Tom nodded, "yeah, he does know what he is doing and if he's telling you to wait a little while then he must think that's what you need to do. Don't forget he knows stuff about this guy Liam and I know it might be hard for you, but if I were you I would do what he says. I think you would regret it much more if you did something and it ruined your chances of getting Carla back than if you waited just a little bit longer."

Liam sighed, nodding his head in agreement reluctantly. "I know, it's just so frustrating, I never thought that she would be away this long and we don't even know if she's ever coming back. We talk like it's just this waiting game, but we don't know if he will find her . . ."

"You can't think like that, Liam."

"I can't help it."

Before either of them managed to say anything else, Barry walked through the door, causing them to turn around. "I thought there were voices coming from in here."

Liam forced a small smile, "I don't think we'll be up too much longer dad, are you all right?"

"I just wanted a drink son."

"Do you want me to get you it?" Liam questioned, raising from the couch and walking towards the doorway of the living room. "What do you want?"

"Just a glass of water, I think I can manage."

The door went, which stopped Liam in his tracks and he frowned, he considered telling his dad to answer the door but what had happened to his Grandfather was something that he couldn't shift from his memory and it was that thought which caused him to go himself. "Turns out you might have to make that drink yourself."

Barry offered a faint smile and nodded, walking towards the kitchen much slower than he usually would have, silently worrying about who was at the door as the night was getting on.

Tom was also now in the hallway, wondering who was calling at such an hour and when Liam opened the door to someone who he didn't know, his confusion was only heightened further. The man seemed distressed and Tom walked forwards to stand behind his cousin as some kind of back up, though for what he wasn't quite sure. In his hand the man clutched a white scrunched up piece of paper and Tom silently wondered what it was.

"Are you Liam?" were his words and while Tom and Barry wondered what was going on and whether Liam knew the man standing on the doorstep, Liam know what was going on. H had no idea how but he knew, he just knew.

"Yes, I am. What's this about?"

"It's Carla . . . It's about Carla . . ."


	41. Chapter 41

**Thank you once again for the lovely feedback that you left me, I hope you're all still interested in this fic, it's taken me quiet a while to update it. I've just sat to try to get it done as quickly as possible so I hope there isn't too many mistakes. I think the word count will be 100, 000 words or just over after this chapter, I never thought I would get there so I thought that I might mention it. :-) Some of you have mentioned this happening so I'm assuming you have been waiting for it to happen for a while, I hope I've done it well enough. I hope you enjoy this. :-)**

Liam's heart speeded up in his chest and for a moment and the hammering of it was all he could think about. There was someone on his doorstep that knew where she was, who knew where his Carla was and it was that thought that caused him to struggle to catch his breath for a moment. He had grown to think that finding Carla wouldn't happen though he had never wanted to admit that to himself. "Where . . . Where is she?" he stuttered, he wanted to tear Frank limb from limb and he could feel his anger rising faster than ever before.

Tom interrupted before Liam could speak again; he knew that Liam was struggling to keep control and not kick off completely and that if he did it wouldn't help anyone. "Just let the man speak Liam."

Liam stepped to one side and allowed Michael to step through the door and after he closed it behind him he coughed and spoke up once more. "Just tell me what you know, we want to get her back and I don't think that you would have come here if you didn't want to help . . ."

"I do want to help, I came here to take you to her, it's just difficult . . ."

"Why is it difficult? What's happened?" The panic in Liam's voice as he spoke was undeniable and the time that it took for Michael to answer felt like days, when in reality, it was seconds.

"She's hurt and she needs to get out of there but there is a possibility that Frank will get back before us."

Before Michael could say anything else Liam had grabbed hold of either side of the jacket he had on and hauled him up against the wall. "Then what are we waiting for. Tell me where she is." Liam shouted but before he had the chance to do anything else, Tom pulled him backwards from behind to make him let go of Michael.

"Stop it Liam, where do you think roughing him up is going to get you?" He had known as soon as the man had knocked at the door and told when why he was there that the possibility of Liam losing his temper was a high one, but he also knew that it wasn't malicious it was just a rush of emotions that had been caused by what he'd been told.

"I can't stand not knowing, will you just take us to wherever she is now?"

Michael nodded, "my car is outside."

"I want to take the range rover, let me go and get it and while I'm doing that, go and tell everyone I want them to go to the house in the country." The second part of what he had said was directed at Tom and when he spoke, Tom couldn't deny the shock and confusion he felt.

"What? Why?"

"I haven't got time Tom, just tell them will you?"

"What about Maria, she is due to drop Liam back off in a couple of days."

"Well she will have to change her plans won't she? Just like I changed mine so she could go there." he snapped before leaving the house and heading into the large garage at the side of the house.

Tom walked up the hallway and the stairs and he was thankful when he found Barry about to walk down them. When Barry ran into Tom he immediately knew that there was something was wrong and worry took over him completely. "What's the matter son?"

"Some guy has just turned up and told Liam that he knows where Carla is and he's willing to take him there. I think I'm going to go with him but he wanted me to tell you all that you need to go to the house in the Lakes, I don't know why but that's what he wants you to do. Dom and Daryl will take you and I think he wants them to stay there too, while the other lads stay here."

"What's he going to do after he has got Carla? What if this guy is something to do with Frank and he's lying to you?"

"I think he's joining you, just sit tight and I'm guessing he'll let you know."

"What if this is some kind of trap, Tom?"

"He's not going to take the risk of not going . . ."

Barry sighed and nodded in agreement with his nephew, knowing that no matter how much talking they might try and do to Liam, if there was a slight chance he could get Carla away from wherever she was, he would do everything in his power to do that. "Just try and get that poor girl back yeah?"

Tom nodded and was about to turn around and head back downstairs and outside to where Liam was when Barry spoke up once more. "What about April?"

"What about her?"

"She is due back in the next couple of days . . ."

Tom shrugged and shook his head a little, "I don't know just try and get in touch with her?"

"All right, you just go, I will try and get very one there as quick as I can."

"Thanks Barry . . ."

"Just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid will you?"

Tom nodded before rushing out of the house to join his cousin in the car. When he got inside Liam spoke to him, giving Michael a nod and setting off in the car as he did, "have you sorted things?"

"I've left your dad in charge of getting everyone there."

"Let's just hope we have an extra person with us tomorrow."

Tom nodded his agreement and he could only hope that Frank wasn't there. He knew he had told Barry that he would try and keep Liam out of trouble and stop him from doing anything he might later regret, but he worried that if Frank was present wherever they were going he wouldn't be able to stop him from doing something that he shouldn't.

In the house, Carla was laid in the bed and though she had tried she couldn't move. The slightest movement caused the pain that she was already in to become worse and she couldn't stand it, the thought that she had just been left there to die had crossed her mind and it had caused her tears to come quicker than ever. She wasn't sure whether Frank would be back and every slight noise caused her to jump and her heart to pound in her chest. Her body shook continuously and she felt sick, the aches and pains in her stomach a permanent reminder of what had happened to her before Frank had left. Her hand was still laid across her stomach but it was offering no comfort like she had hoped it might, the one person that she could not stop thinking about was her daughter and how she was doing. She couldn't even put into words how pleased she was that Michael had managed to find out that Frank didn't have her and let her know before any of this had happened.

Carla wasn't sure how long she had been laying in the bed when the door went from downstairs and as it closed heavily she could only assume that it was Frank and she was powerless to stop her tears from starting once more. She couldn't handle laying in bed given the pain she was in and she was sure she couldn't handle him kicking off again, especially when this time there wasn't a single thing she could hope to do when it came to fighting him off. She could barely move as it was.

Liam raced up the stairs behind Michael and when he stepped to one side upon getting to the door of what he assumed was a bedroom Liam threw it open without a second thought. However, as the door opened and he found Carla laid on the bed covered in marks, a ripped shred of material of what was her top crying and in what he could only imagine was agony, it took his breath away and he thought that he might throw up right there. Liam swallowed hard and shook his head a little knowing that for him to lose control was the last thing that she needed. He hesitate for a moment before taking a step into the bedroom and whispering her name, hoping that it would startle her less than him just grabbing her taking her from the bed which was what he felt like doing. "Carla?"

She rolled her head to one side against the pillow and as he neared her it was then that the bruises and marks on her neck became apparent and he hoped that one day he would get the chance to do what he felt like doing to Frank Foster right at that moment in time. He silently vowed that if he ever got the chance he would kill him. His heart broke when Carla attempted to speak, but no sound was made and instead she just mouthed his name. Liam made his way around to the side of the bed that Carla was laid and knelt down at the side of it, moving his hand to the side to her cheek gently, and the way she flinched wasn't missed by him. "Hey, it's me sweetheart . . ." he whispered and moved his hand to place over her's as she moved it a fraction closer to him. "You're coming with me."

Carla swallowed hard and shook her head slowly before managing to answer him. "I can't . . . It hurts . . ."

Liam brushed his thumb gently over her cheek to wipe the tears that were there before nodding his understanding. "I know, but once we're out of here we'll try and get something for it . . ." He knew that he would only be able to help the physical pain that she was in so much and that he would be able to do nothing but be there for her when it came to the mental and emotional side of things but whatever he could do for the woman laid before him, he wanted to, he wanted to make sure that she got better and that she got over what Frank had done to her.

When Carla didn't object again Liam turned to Tom and spoke in his direction, "give me your coat and go and start the car."

Tom shrugged his coat off and passed it over to Liam before leaving the room and heading outside. Michael followed him out and though he was worried about what Frank would decide to do on getting back and finding Carla gone, he knew that he couldn't have just left her with him and was pleased he'd decided to tell Liam.

Liam carefully wrapped the coat around Carla and though he knew it would probably do very little to protect her from the bitter cold outside, he knew it would have to do until he could get something better. Once she was wrapped in it he picked her up, with one arm around her back and the other under her legs. She cried out at the stabbing pains that shot through her stomach with a vengeance, the aches and pains getting worse as she was lifted from the bed and into Liam's arms. "I know, I know . . ." he whispered and placed a delicate kiss at the side of her head before walking out of the room and eventually out of the house with her.

When they got outside Liam had been about to walk past Michael and get into their car with Carla but she put her arm out to his to stop him. "Michael . . ." she whispered. He turned around and gave a tiny smile, nodding his acknowledgement when she spoke again. "Thank you . . ."

"You're very welcome, you take care yeah?"

She nodded, "where are you going now?"

"I'm going to get my family and just go away, get away from all of this."

"I hope your brother and his wife make things work and that you don't get involved in any of this again . . ."

He reached out to take her hand, giving it a very gentle squeeze. "You're the strongest person I've ever met and Dempsey is very fortunate to have you as her Mother . . ." Carla thought she might choke on the lump forming in her throat and all she could manage was a tiny nod at his comment although she didn't completely agree. Michael then turned to Liam to speak, "I think she needs to be in the warm. If you put her in the car and then come back here, I need a word."

Liam frowned and silently wondered what it was that Michael needed to talk to him about. He hesitated for a moment before he walked to the car and laid Carla carefully across the middle set of seats. Once he had closed the door he turned around and made his way back over to Michael, speaking before he had the chance to open his mouth. "Thanks Michael, I mean it. I wan you to keep in touch and if there's ever anything that I can help you with, just call me." He handed him a card and gestured to it with a nod as he spoke once more. "It's my work card, but you should be able to get hold of me on there if you ever need to."

Michael nodded, "you really didn't need to do this Liam, but thank you. I just did what anyone else would have."

"No you didn't, anyone else might have called or something. You went way beyond that."

Michael offered a small smile and nodded once. "I didn't want to say this while Carla was there, I didn't want to freak hr out. But, I've called a very close friend of mine who works at a hospital about 40 minutes from here. I've told her what's happened and what I think could be Carla's injuries and she has agreed to sort out a room and treat her. She used to work to treat people who had been raped, so she will help her as much as she can and point you in the right direction of what she thinks Carla might need after being at the hospital. Ask for Flo and tell her that I've sent you . . ."

"Thank you Michael . . ." He held his hand out for Michael to shake, which he accepted and after a nod from himself he let go and turned to get into his car. Once he had started the car he sped off in the direction of his house to get his family and get as far away from what had happened as he could.

Liam turned and walked back to the car Tom and Carla were in waiting for him. He opened the door and shifted Carla carefully so that he was sitting down and she had her head laid on his lap. The heating in the car was on and she still had Tom's coat wrapped around her which assured him that she should be warming up a little. He put his seatbelt on and leaned over to put one around Carla before speaking to Tom. "Drive carefully and go to the nearest supermarket will you mate?"

Tom nodded and started the car while Liam took one of Carla's hands in both of his own, hoping that in time she would be able to get back to anything remotely normal.

What they didn't know, was that at the side of the house hidden by shadows and large trees was another car. A large black car with two occupants. Frank had arrived back to find two cars parked outside of the house and although he knew one was Michael's, he had no idea who the other one belonged to and had instructed Rik to hide and wait until he found out. His blood boiled when he found that Liam was there and that now Carla was gone and as the car drove away he banged his fist furiously off the steering wheel. "Call Danny. Now, and get him here to clean that place from top to bottom, then get on the phone and tell Lucas to draw up a fake contract for Danny for this place." He seethed, and upon getting his instructions Rik took his phone from his pocket and began dialing straight away.

Once the calls had been made Rik started the car as Frank spoke once more. "Get me to my other apartment, and make sure that things are done properly for when the police start sniffing around."


End file.
